Secondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements in new radio

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. One method may include transmitting a first signal instructing a user equipment (UE) to transition a state of a secondary cell associated with the UE; determining an allocation of resources for the UE to communicate with the secondary cell; and transmitting a second signal including an indication of an active bandwidth part (BWP) used for the allocation of resources based on the determining. The active BWP and the first signal may indicate the transition of the state of the secondary cell.

CROSS REFERENCES

The present application for patent is a Continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/168,332 by ANG et al., entitled “SECONDARY CELLACTIVATION AND DEACTIVATION ENHANCEMENTS IN NEW RADIO” filed Oct. 23,2018, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/577,077 by ANG, et al., entitled “SECONDARY CELL ACTIVATION ANDDEACTIVATION ENHANCEMENTS IN NEW RADIO,” filed Oct. 25, 2017, and toU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/587,311 by ANG, et al.,entitled “SECONDARY CELL ACTIVATION AND DEACTIVATION ENHANCEMENTS IN NEWRADIO”, filed Nov. 16, 2017, assigned to the assignee hereof, andexpressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The following relates generally to wireless communication, and morespecifically to secondary cell activation and deactivation enhancementsin new radio.

Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide varioustypes of communication content such as voice, video, packet data,messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable ofsupporting communication with multiple users by sharing the availablesystem resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of suchmultiple-access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as aLong Term Evolution (LTE) systems or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, andfifth generation (5G) systems which may be referred to as new radiosystems. These systems may employ technologies such as code divisionmultiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequencydivision multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multipleaccess (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform-spread-orthogonalfrequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM). A wireless multiple-accesscommunications system may include a number of base stations or networkaccess nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiplecommunication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment(UE).

A UE may be configured for dual-connectivity and carrier aggregation,where the UE may receive data transmitted by two network nodes ortransmit data to two different network nodes. One network node may be aprimary cell next generation NodeB (gNB), and the other network node maybe a secondary cell, such as a secondary next generation NodeB (SgNB).When operating in dual-connectivity and carrier aggregation mode, a UEmay have increased data transmission capabilities, but may also haveincreased power consumption.

SUMMARY

The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices,or apparatuses that support secondary cell activation and deactivationenhancements in new radio. A base station may instruct a user equipment(UE) to activate or deactivate a secondary cell based on a modificationin data throughput requirements for the UE. In some examples, asecondary cell activation may be signaled to the UE using a mediumaccess control (MAC) control element (CE). For example, a bit field inthe MAC CE may indicate an activation or deactivation status of thesecondary cell. Using MAC CE to indicate secondary cell activation ordeactivation in next generation fifth generation (5G) or millimeter wave(mmW) new radio systems may introduce latency that may affect the UE.For example, by having the secondary cell remain activated for extendedperiods when activation is unnecessary, power consumption for the UE maybe increased due to physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoringon the activated secondary cell. In some examples, to reduce latencysignaling associated with secondary cell activation and deactivation,the base station may configure a downlink control information (DCI)format that may include a bitmap for secondary cell activation anddeactivation. In further examples, the base station may support acombined approach of MAC CE signaling and bandwidth part (BWP) DCI forsecondary cell activation and deactivation.

A method for wireless communication is described. The method may includetransmitting a first signal instructing a UE to transition a state of asecondary cell associated with the UE; determining an allocation ofresources for the UE to communicate with the secondary cell; andtransmitting a second signal comprising an indication of an active BWPused for the allocation of resources based at least in part on thedetermining, the active BWP and the first signal indicating thetransition of the state of the secondary cell.

An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus mayinclude means for transmitting a first signal instructing a UE totransition a state of a secondary cell associated with the UE; means fordetermining an allocation of resources for the UE to communicate withthe secondary cell; and means for transmitting a second signalcomprising an indication of an active BWP used for the allocation ofresources based at least in part on the determining, the active BWP andthe first signal indicating the transition of the state of the secondarycell.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include a processor, memory in electronic communication with theprocessor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions maybe operable to cause the processor to transmit a first signalinstructing a UE to transition a state of a secondary cell associatedwith the UE; determine an allocation of resources for the UE tocommunicate with the secondary cell; and transmit a second signalcomprising an indication of an active BWP used for the allocation ofresources based at least in part on the determining, the active BWP andthe first signal indicating the transition of the state of the secondarycell.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium for wireless communication isdescribed. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may includeinstructions operable to cause a processor to transmit a first signalinstructing a UE to transition a state of a secondary cell associatedwith the UE; determine an allocation of resources for the UE tocommunicate with the secondary cell; and transmit a second signalcomprising an indication of an active BWP used for the allocation ofresources based at least in part on the determining, the active BWP andthe first signal indicating the transition of the state of the secondarycell.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, the first signal comprises aMAC CE and the second signal comprises BWP DCI. Some examples of themethod, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium describedabove may further include processes, features, means, or instructionsfor transmitting, to the UE, a BWP switching DCI on the secondary cellindicating switching to a zero BWP for the secondary cell, wherein theBWP switching DCI is transmitted without a grant. Some examples of themethod, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium describedabove may further include processes, features, means, or instructionsfor transmitting, to the UE, a BWP switching DCI on the primary cellindicating switching to a zero BWP for the secondary cell, wherein theBWP switching DCI comprises at least a carrier indicator field (CIF). Insome examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, the BWP DCI carries BWPactivation control information for the secondary cell associated withthe UE.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for configuring the secondary cell tobe in a full activated state based at least in part on the transmittedfirst signal and the active BWP being a non-zero BWP. Some examples ofthe method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable mediumdescribed above may further include processes, features, means, orinstructions for configuring the secondary cell to be in a partiallyactivated state based at least in part on the transmitted first signaland the active BWP being a zero BWP.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for configuring one or more secondarycells to switch from the partially activated state to a full activatedstate based at least in part on a BWP switching DCI transmitted on aprimary cell without a grant, wherein the BWP switching DCI comprisesBWP activation control information for the one or more secondary cellsassociated with the UE. Some examples of the method, apparatus, andnon-transitory computer-readable medium described above may furtherinclude processes, features, means, or instructions for configuring thesecondary cell to switch from the partially activated state to a fullactivated state based at least in part on a BWP switching DCItransmitted on a primary cell, wherein the BWP switching DCI comprisesat least a CIF.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for configuring the secondary cell tobe in a full deactivated state based at least in part on the transmittedfirst signal. In some examples of the method, apparatus, andnon-transitory computer-readable medium described above, the active BWPis deactivated based at least in part on the secondary cell being in afull deactivated state. Some examples of the method, apparatus, andnon-transitory computer-readable medium described above may furtherinclude processes, features, means, or instructions for configuring thesecondary cell to be in a full deactivated state based at least in parton a deactivation timer expiring. Some examples of the method,apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described abovemay further include processes, features, means, or instructions forconfiguring the secondary cell to switch to a default BWP comprising azero-BWP based at least in part on a BWP timer expiring. In someexamples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readablemedium described above, the state comprises a fully activated state, apartially activated state, or a fully deactivated state.

Another method for wireless communication is described. The method mayinclude configuring at least one bit of a field in a BWP DCI to indicateselections for activated or deactivated states for a secondary cell anda BWP selection for the base station; and transmitting the BWP DCI to aUE based at least in part on the configuring.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include means for configuring at least one bit of a field in a BWPDCI to indicate selections for activated or deactivated states for asecondary cell and a BWP selection for the base station; and means fortransmitting the BWP DCI to a UE based at least in part on theconfiguring.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include a processor, memory in electronic communication with theprocessor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions maybe operable to cause the processor to configure at least one bit of afield in a BWP DCI to indicate selections for activated or deactivatedstates for a secondary cell and a BWP selection for the base station;and transmit the BWP DCI to a UE based at least in part on theconfiguring.

Another non-transitory computer-readable medium for wirelesscommunication is described. The non-transitory computer-readable mediummay include instructions operable to cause a processor to configure atleast one bit of a field in a BWP DCI to indicate selections foractivated or deactivated states for a secondary cell and a BWP selectionfor the base station; and transmit the BWP DCI to a UE based at least inpart on the configuring.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for configuring a primary cellassociated with the base station to switch to a default BWP based atleast in part on an expiration of a timer. In some examples of themethod, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium describedabove, the default BWP is configured to be a non-zero BWP.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for configuring a subset of or allsecondary cells of the group to switch from a fully activated state to apartially activated state based at least in part on an expiration of atimer. In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, the partially activated stateis associated with a default BWP comprising a zero-BWP.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for configuring a MAC CE to indicatethe group of secondary cells based at least in part on the BWP DCI. Insome examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, the BWP DCI of a primary cellassociated with the base station carries BWP activation controlinformation for the secondary cell.

Another method for wireless communication is described. The method mayinclude configuring a bitmap in a BWP DCI, the bitmap indicating a stateassociated with each secondary cell of a group of secondary cells; andtransmitting the BWP DCI to a UE.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include means for configuring a bitmap in a BWP DCI, the bitmapindicating a state associated with each secondary cell of a group ofsecondary cells; and means for transmitting the BWP DCI to a UE.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include a processor, memory in electronic communication with theprocessor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions maybe operable to cause the processor to configure a bitmap in a BWP DCI,the bitmap indicating a state associated with each secondary cell of agroup of secondary cells; and transmit the BWP DCI to a UE.

Another non-transitory computer-readable medium for wirelesscommunication is described. The non-transitory computer-readable mediummay include instructions operable to cause a processor to configure abitmap in a BWP DCI, the bitmap indicating a state associated with eachsecondary cell of a group of secondary cells; and transmit the BWP DCIto a UE.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for identifying a number of bitsassociated with the bitmap; configuring at least one bit of the bitmapto indicate a target BWP ID based at least in part on the number ofbits; and configuring at least a remaining number of bits for controlinformation indicating the state associated with each secondary cell ofthe group of secondary cells.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for transmitting the state associatedwith each secondary cell of the group of secondary cells using higherlayer signaling. In some examples of the method, apparatus, andnon-transitory computer-readable medium described above, the higherlayer signaling comprises radio resource control (RRC) signaling or MACCE signaling during a secondary cell configuration procedure.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for transmitting a MAC CE instructingthe UE to transition a state of at least one secondary cell of the groupof secondary cells; determining an allocation of resources for the UE tocommunicate with the at least one secondary cell; and transmitting anindication of an active BWP used for the allocation of resources in theBWP DCI based at least in part on the determining.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for configuring the at least onesecondary cell to be in a full activated state based at least in part onthe transmitted MAC CE and the active BWP being a non-zero BWP. Someexamples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readablemedium described above may further include processes, features, means,or instructions for configuring the at least one secondary cell to be ina partially activated state based at least in part on the transmittedMAC CE and the active BWP being a zero BWP.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for configuring the at least onesecondary cell to switch from the partially activated state to a fullyactivated state based at least in part on a BWP switching DCItransmitted on a primary cell without a grant. In some examples of themethod, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium describedabove, the switching from the partially activated state to the fullactivated state is further based at least in part on at least one bit ofthe bitmap.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for configuring the at least onesecondary cell to be in a full deactivated state based at least in parton the transmitted MAC CE. Some examples of the method, apparatus, andnon-transitory computer-readable medium described above may furtherinclude processes, features, means, or instructions for configuring aMAC CE to indicate the group of secondary cells based at least in parton the BWP DCI. Some examples of the method, apparatus, andnon-transitory computer-readable medium described above may furtherinclude processes, features, means, or instructions for configuring atleast one bit of the bitmap to indicate a selection of a primary cell ora state of a group of secondary cells. In some examples of the method,apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described above,at least one bit of the bitmap comprises a secondary cell indicator.Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for configuring at least one bit of thebitmap based at least in part on a zero resource allocation.

Another method for wireless communication is described. The method mayinclude receiving a MAC CE; receiving a BWP DCI comprising an indicationof an active BWP used for allocation of resources for the UE tocommunicate with the secondary cell; and transitioning a state of asecondary cell based at least in part on the MAC CE and the active BWP.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include means for receiving a MAC CE; means for receiving a BWP DCIcomprising an indication of an active BWP used for allocation ofresources for the UE to communicate with the secondary cell; and meansfor transitioning a state of a secondary cell based at least in part onthe MAC CE and the active BWP.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include a processor, memory in electronic communication with theprocessor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions maybe operable to cause the processor to receive a MAC CE; receive a BWPDCI comprising an indication of an active BWP used for allocation ofresources for the UE to communicate with the secondary cell; andtransition a state of a secondary cell based at least in part on the MACCE and the active BWP.

Another non-transitory computer-readable medium for wirelesscommunication is described. The non-transitory computer-readable mediummay include instructions operable to cause a processor to receive a MACCE; receive a BWP DCI comprising an indication of an active BWP used forallocation of resources for the UE to communicate with the secondarycell; and transition a state of a secondary cell based at least in parton the MAC CE and the active BWP.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, the state comprises a fullyactivated state, a partially activated state, or a fully deactivatedstate. Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for transitioning the state of thesecondary cell to a full activated state based at least in part on thereceived MAC CE and the active BWP being a non-zero BWP. Some examplesof the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable mediumdescribed above may further include processes, features, means, orinstructions for transitioning the state of the secondary cell to apartially activated state based at least in part on the received MAC CEand the active BWP being a zero BWP.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for transitioning the state of thesecondary cell to a full deactivated state based at least in part on thereceived MAC CE. Some examples of the method, apparatus, andnon-transitory computer-readable medium described above may furtherinclude processes, features, means, or instructions for transitioningthe state of the secondary cell to a full deactivated state based atleast in part on a deactivation timer expiring.

Another method for wireless communication is described. The method mayinclude receiving a BWP DCI from a base station; and identifying aselection of a primary cell or a state of a group of secondary cellsbased at least in part on at least one bit of a field in the BWP DCI.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include means for receiving a BWP DCI from a base station; and meansfor identifying a selection of a primary cell or a state of a group ofsecondary cells based at least in part on at least one bit of a field inthe BWP DCI.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include a processor, memory in electronic communication with theprocessor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions maybe operable to cause the processor to receive a BWP DCI from a basestation; and identify a selection of a primary cell or a state of agroup of secondary cells based at least in part on at least one bit of afield in the BWP DCI.

Another non-transitory computer-readable medium for wirelesscommunication is described. The non-transitory computer-readable mediummay include instructions operable to cause a processor to receive a BWPDCI from a base station; and identify a selection of a primary cell or astate of a group of secondary cells based at least in part on at leastone bit of a field in the BWP DCI.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for wireless communicationthat supports secondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements innew radio in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a system for wireless communicationthat supports secondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements innew radio in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a method that supports secondary cellactivation and deactivation enhancements in new radio in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a BWP signaling that supports secondarycell activation and deactivation enhancements in new radio in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a process flow that supports secondarycell activation and deactivation enhancements in new radio in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6 through 8 show block diagrams of a device that supportssecondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements in new radio inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram of a system including a base stationthat supports secondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements innew radio in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 10 through 12 show block diagrams of a device that supportssecondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements in new radio inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 illustrates a block diagram of a system including a UE thatsupports secondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements in newradio in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 14 through 18 illustrate methods for secondary cell activation anddeactivation enhancements in new radio in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A base station may instruct a user equipment (UE) to activate ordeactivate a secondary cell based on a change in data throughputrequirements for the UE. In some examples, a period to activate ordeactivate a secondary cell may be proportional to a latency associatedwith performing radio frequency bandwidth adaptation. For instance, insome examples of wireless communication systems such as Long-TermEvolution (LTE), secondary cell activation may be signaled to a UE via amedium access control (MAC) control element (CE). For example, a bitfield in the MAC CE may indicate an activation or deactivation status ofone or more secondary cells. Additionally, secondary cell deactivationmay be signaled to a UE via a MAC CE or alternatively by using a timer(e.g., expiration of a secondary cell deactivation timer).

In some cases, using MAC CE to indicate secondary cell activation ordeactivation in next generation 5G or millimeter wave (mmW) new radiosystems may have a higher latency compared to providing an indication ofbandwidth part (BWP) adaptation to the UE via downlink controlinformation (DCI) signaling. That is, when the secondary cell isactivated it remains activated for an extended duration, to reduce theoccurrences of signaling because of the greater overhead in terms of theresources usage and latency associated with MAC CE signaling forsecondary cell activation or deactivation. In addition, by having thesecondary cell remain activated for extended periods, power consumptionfor the UE may also be effected due to physical downlink control channel(PDCCH) monitoring on the activated secondary cell. In one example, forintra-band carrier aggregation, the receiver bandwidth of a UE may be awideband radio frequency. As such, benefits associated with low latencyBWP adaptation for the UE would be undermined if secondary cellactivation or deactivation became a bottleneck. As a result, consistencybetween BWP and secondary cell activation or deactivation may bedesirable. In some examples, to reduce latency signaling associated withsecondary cell activation and deactivation, the base station mayconfigure a DCI format that may include a bitmap for secondary cellactivation and deactivation. In further examples, the base station maysupport a combined approach of MAC CE signaling and BWP DCI forsecondary cell activation and deactivation.

The base station may transmit a first signal instructing the UE totransition a state of a secondary cell associated with the UE. The basestation may determine an allocation of resources for the UE tocommunicate with the secondary cell, and transmit a second signalincluding an indication of an active BWP used for the allocation ofresources based on the determining. The active BWP and the first signalmay indicate the transition of the state of the secondary cell. In someexamples, the first signal may include a MAC CE and the second signalmay include a BWP DCI. The UE may receive the MAC CE from the basestation, and subsequently also receive the BWP DCI including anindication of an active BWP used for allocation of resources for the UEto communicate with the secondary cell. The UE may transition a state ofa secondary cell based on the MAC CE and the active BWP. An active BWPmay be a non-zero BWP that may be equivalent to the case where at leastone BWP is activated. A non-zero BWP may be a narrowband or wideband. Insome cases, a non-zero BWP may include one or more BWPs configured withbandwidth greater than zero and up to a minimum of a maximum of the UEbandwidth and a component carrier bandwidth of the UE.

In some cases, a base station may configure a secondary cell to be in afull activated state based on the transmitted first signal and theactive BWP being a non-zero BWP. In some cases, the base station mayconfigure the secondary cell to be in a dormant state (previouslyreferred to as “a gated state”) based on the transmitted first signaland the active BWP being a zero BWP. The dormant state may also herebybe referred to as a partially activated state. The base station mayalternatively configure the secondary cell to be in a full deactivatedstate based on the transmitted first signal. In some cases, the UE maytransition the state of the secondary cell to a full activated statebased on the received MAC CE and the active BWP being a non-zero BWP.The UE may transition the state of the secondary cell to a dormant statebased on the received MAC CE and the active BWP being a zero BWP. The UEmay transition the state of the secondary cell to a full deactivatedstate based on the received MAC CE.

Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of awireless communications system. Exemplary UEs and base stations (e.g.,next generation NodeBs (gNBs)), systems, methods, and process flow thatsupports secondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements in newradio are then described. Aspects of the disclosure are furtherillustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams,system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to secondary cell activationand deactivation enhancements in new radio.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system 100 for wireless communicationthat supports secondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements innew radio in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.The system 100 includes base stations 105, UEs 115, and a core network130. In some examples, the system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE)network, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, or a new radio network. Insome cases, the system 100 may support enhanced broadbandcommunications, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission critical) communications,low latency communications, or communications with low-cost andlow-complexity devices.

Base stations 105 may wirelessly communicate with UEs 115 via one ormore base station antennas. Base stations 105 described herein mayinclude or may be referred to by those skilled in the art as a basetransceiver station, a radio base station, an access point, a radiotransceiver, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a next-generation Node B orgiga-nodeB (either of which may be referred to as a gNB), a Home NodeB,a Home eNodeB, or some other suitable terminology. The system 100 mayinclude base stations 105 of different types (e.g., macro or small cellbase stations). The UEs 115 described herein may be able to communicatewith various types of base stations 105 and network equipment includingmacro eNBs, small cell eNBs, gNBs, relay base stations, and the like.

Each base station 105 may be associated with a particular geographiccoverage area 110 in which communications with various UEs 115 issupported. Each base station 105 may provide communication coverage fora respective geographic coverage area 110 via communication links 125,and communication links 125 between a base station 105 and a UE 115 mayutilize one or more carriers. Communication links 125 shown in thesystem 100 may include uplink transmissions from a UE 115 to a basestation 105, or downlink transmissions, from a base station 105 to a UE115. Downlink transmissions may also be called forward linktransmissions while uplink transmissions may also be called reverse linktransmissions. The system 100 may configure one or more downlinkbandwidth parts (BWPs) and one or more uplink BWPs for each UE-specificserving cell (e.g., a serving cell associated with a base station 105).In some cases, the one or more downlinks BWPs and the one or more uplinkBWPs may be configured using dedicated radio resource control (RRC) fora UE 115.

The geographic coverage area 110 for a base station 105 may be dividedinto sectors making up only a portion of the geographic coverage area110, and each sector may be associated with a cell. For example, eachbase station 105 may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, asmall cell, a hot spot, or other types of cells, or various combinationsthereof. In some examples, a base station 105 may be movable andtherefore provide communication coverage for a moving geographiccoverage area 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas110 associated with different technologies may overlap, and overlappinggeographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies maybe supported by the same base station 105 or by different base stations105. The system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous LTE/LTE-Aor new radio network in which different types of base stations 105provide coverage for various geographic coverage areas 110.

The term “cell” refers to a logical communication entity used forcommunication with a base station 105 (e.g., over a carrier), and may beassociated with an identifier for distinguishing neighboring cells(e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier(VCID)) operating via the same or a different carrier. In some examples,a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may beconfigured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine-typecommunication (MTC), narrowband Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT), enhancedmobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access fordifferent types of devices. In some cases, the term “cell” may refer toa portion of a geographic coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) over whichthe logical entity operates.

UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout the system 100, and each UE 115 maybe stationary or mobile. A UE 115 may also be referred to as a mobiledevice, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or asubscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, where the“device” may also be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or aclient. A UE 115 may also be a personal electronic device such as acellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, alaptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, a UE 115 mayalso refer to a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things(IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or an MTC device,or the like, which may be implemented in various articles such asappliances, vehicles, meters, or the like.

In some cases, base station 105 may transmit a first signal instructingUE 115 to transition a state of a secondary cell associated with the UE115. For example, base station 105 may be a primary cell for UE 115, andanother base station 105 may be a secondary cell for UE 115. Basestation 105 may determine an allocation of resources for the UE 115 tocommunicate with the secondary cell (e.g., another base station 105),and transmit a second signal including an indication of an active BWPused for the allocation of resources based on the determining. Theactive BWP and the first signal may indicate the transition of the stateof the secondary cell. In some examples, the first signal may include aMAC CE and the second signal including a BWP DCI. UE 115 may receive aMAC CE from base station 105. UE 115 may also receive a BWP DCIincluding an indication of an active BWP used for allocation ofresources for the UE to communicate with the secondary cell. The UE 115may transition a state of a secondary cell based on the MAC CE and theactive BWP.

Base station 105 may configure a secondary cell to be in a fullactivated state based on the transmitted first signal and the active BWPbeing a non-zero BWP. In some cases, base station 105 may configure thesecondary cell to be in a dormant state based on the transmitted firstsignal and the active BWP being a zero BWP. During periods of lowtraffic activity, an activated secondary cell may quickly switch to thedormant state. While in the dormant state, UE 115 may rely on a primarycell to maintain a connection (e.g., a connection to a base station105). In some examples, for an activated secondary cell, the dormantstate can be defined as all BWP of the secondary cell being deactivated.In some cases, the secondary cell may be in the dormant state when theactive BWP is the zero BWP. In some cases, a default BWP of thesecondary cell may be the zero BWP, so that when a BWP timer expires,the secondary cell may autonomously switch to the dormant state. Whenthe secondary cell is in the dormant state, UE 115 may have a reducedactive radio frequency bandwidth support and power consumption.

The base station 105 may alternatively configure the secondary cell tobe in a full deactivated state based on the transmitted first signal. Insome cases, base station 105 may configure the secondary cell to be in afull deactivated state based on a deactivation timer expiring. In somecase, UE 115 may transition the state of the secondary cell to a fullactivated state based on the received MAC CE and the active BWP being anon-zero BWP. UE 115 may transition the state of the secondary cell to adormant state based on the received MAC CE and the active BWP being azero BWP. UE 115 may transition the state of the secondary cell to afull deactivated state based on the received MAC CE. UE 115 maytransition the state of the secondary cell to a full deactivated statebased on a deactivation timer expiring. In some cases, an activated BWPmay remain active until a BWP timer expires, or until a subsequent DCIindicates that an activated BWP is to be inactivated. In some cases, atable of combinations of activated BWPs and deactivated BWPs may beconfigured, and the DCI may include an index into the table to indicatewhich BWPs are active and which BWPs are inactive. In some cases, theDCI may include a bitmap that indicates which BWPs are active and whichBWPs are inactive. In some cases, the UE 115 may transmit anacknowledgment (ACK) or non-acknowledgment (NACK) receipt of the DCI tothe base station 105 using resources indicated in the DCI or inpreconfigured acknowledgment resources.

In some cases, base station 105 may configure at least one bit of afield in a BWP DCI to indicate selections for activated or deactivatedstates for a secondary cell and a BWP selection for the base station,and transmit the BWP DCI to UE 115 based on the configuring. In someexamples, the configuration may include base station 105 switching to adefault BWP based on an expiration of a timer. The timer may be a BWPtimer that may be associated with an active duration of a BWP for aprimary cell and/or one or more secondary cells. The default BWP may beconfigured to be a non-zero BWP. In some cases, the configuration mayinclude a subset of or all secondary cells of the group configured toswitch from a fully activated state to a dormant state based on anexpiration of a timer. The dormant state may be associated with adefault BWP including a zero-BWP. Base station 105 may also configure toindicate the group of secondary cells based on the BWP DCI. UE 115 mayreceive the BWP DCI from base station 105 and identify a selection of aprimary cell or a state of a group of secondary cells based on at leastone bit of a field in the BWP DCI.

A default BWP (e.g., a default BWP of base station 105) may be active,with any remaining BWPs (e.g., other BWPs of the base station 105 or oneor more BWPs of one or more secondary cells) deactivated unlessspecifically activated by the base station 105. Upon activation of aBWP, the UE 115 may perform channel state information (CSI) measurementsand transmit a measurement report. Thus, monitoring and measurements ofthe deactivated BWPs may be avoided, which may provide power savings andmore efficient resource usage. Furthermore, secondary cell activationand deactivation may be signaled based on whether or not a DCI indicatesa BWP for one or more secondary cell is activated. In some cases, if anyBWP of a secondary cell is activated, the secondary cell may beconsidered to be activated and if all the BWPs of a secondary cell aredeactivated, the secondary cell may be considered to be deactivated. Insuch a manner, separate signaling for activation and deactivation ofsecondary cells may be avoided.

System 100 may support configuration of a special BWP (e.g., a zero BWP)which corresponds to all BWPs being in a deactivated state for asecondary cell when it becomes the active BWP on the secondary cell.System 100 may also support zero BWP that may be configured as a defaultdownlink BWP on a secondary cell. In some examples, the zero BWP may notbe allowed to be configured as a first active BWP on a secondary cell.In some cases, system 100 may support scheduling DCI with zeroassignment for active downlink and/or uplink BWP switching. For downlinkscheduling DCI, UEs 115 may transmit positive HARQ ACK for zero-sizephysical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission. In some cases,when base stations 105 (e.g., gNB) transmit a BWP switching DCI (withzero assignment) on the secondary cell, it may activate a zero BWP totransition the secondary cell to a dormant state (a partially activatedstate). In some cases, when base stations 105 transmit BWP switching DCI(with zero assignment) on a primary cell, it may include secondary cellcontrol indicator and a bitmap, which selects the secondary cell whoseactive BWP will be switched to the first active BWP. If a zero BWP is anoriginal active BWP, this may effectively switch the secondary cell outof the dormant state. In some examples, base station 105 may configure asecondary cell (e.g., base station 105) to switch from a dormant stateto a full activated state based on a BWP switching DCI transmitted on aprimary cell without a grant.

Some UEs 115, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low cost or lowcomplexity devices, and may provide for automated communication betweenmachines (e.g., via Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication). M2Mcommunication or MTC may refer to data communication technologies thatallow devices to communicate with one another or a base station 105without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTCmay include communications from devices that integrate sensors or metersto measure or capture information and relay that information to acentral server or application program that can make use of theinformation or present the information to humans interacting with theprogram or application. Some UEs 115 may be designed to collectinformation or enable automated behavior of machines. Examples ofapplications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventorymonitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcaremonitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological eventmonitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing,physical access control, and transaction-based business charging.

Some UEs 115 may be configured to employ operating modes that reducepower consumption, such as half-duplex communications (e.g., a mode thatsupports one-way communication via transmission or reception, but nottransmission and reception simultaneously). In some examples half-duplexcommunications may be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other powerconservation techniques for UEs 115 include entering a power saving“deep sleep” mode when not engaging in active communications, oroperating over a limited bandwidth (e.g., according to narrowbandcommunications). In some cases, UEs 115 may be designed to supportcritical functions (e.g., mission critical functions), and the system100 may be configured to provide ultra-reliable communications for thesefunctions.

In some cases, a UE 115 may also be able to communicate directly withother UEs 115 (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (P2P) or device-to-device(D2D) protocol). One or more of a group of UEs 115 utilizing D2Dcommunications may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of a basestation 105. Other UEs 115 in such a group may be outside the geographiccoverage area 110 of a base station 105, or be otherwise unable toreceive transmissions from a base station 105. In some cases, groups ofUEs 115 communicating via D2D communications may utilize a one-to-many(1:M) system in which each UE 115 transmits to every other UE 115 in thegroup. In some cases, a base station 105 facilitates the scheduling ofresources for D2D communications. In other cases, D2D communications arecarried out between UEs 115 without the involvement of a base station105.

Base stations 105 may communicate with the core network 130 and with oneanother. For example, base stations 105 may interface with the corenetwork 130 through backhaul links 132 (e.g., via an 51 or otherinterface). Base stations 105 may communicate with one another overbackhaul links 134 (e.g., via an X2 or other interface) either directly(e.g., directly between base stations 105) or indirectly (e.g., via corenetwork 130).

The core network 130 may provide user authentication, accessauthorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and otheraccess, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be anevolved packet core (EPC), which may include at least one mobilitymanagement entity (MME), at least one serving gateway (S-GW), and atleast one Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW). The MME may managenon-access stratum (e.g., control plane) functions such as mobility,authentication, and bearer management for UEs 115 served by basestations 105 associated with the EPC. User IP packets may be transferredthrough the S-GW, which itself may be connected to the P-GW. The P-GWmay provide IP address allocation as well as other functions. The P-GWmay be connected to the network operators IP services. The operators IPservices may include access to the Internet, Intranet(s), an IPMultimedia Subsystem (IMS), or a Packet-Switched (PS) Streaming Service.

At least some of the network devices, such as a base station 105, mayinclude subcomponents such as an access network entity, which may be anexample of an access node controller (ANC). Each access network entitymay communicate with UEs 115 through a number of other access networktransmission entities, which may be referred to as a radio head, a smartradio head, or a transmission/reception point (TRP). In someconfigurations, various functions of each access network entity or basestation 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g.,radio heads and access network controllers) or consolidated into asingle network device (e.g., a base station 105).

The system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, typicallyin the range of 300 MHz to 300 GHz. Generally, the region from 300 MHzto 3 GHz is known as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeterband, since the wavelengths range from approximately one decimeter toone meter in length. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildingsand environmental features. However, the waves may penetrate structuressufficiently for a macro cell to provide service to UEs 115 locatedindoors. Transmission of UHF waves may be associated with smallerantennas and shorter range (e.g., less than 100 km) compared totransmission using the smaller frequencies and longer waves of the highfrequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portion of the spectrumbelow 300 MHz.

The system 100 may also operate in a super high frequency (SHF) regionusing frequency bands from 3 GHz to 30 GHz, also known as the centimeterband. The SHF region includes bands such as the 5 GHz industrial,scientific, and medical (ISM) bands, which may be used opportunisticallyby devices that can tolerate interference from other users. The system100 may also operate in an extremely high frequency (EHF) region of thespectrum (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz), also known as the millimeterband. In some examples, the system 100 may support millimeter wave (mmW)communications between UEs 115 and base stations 105, and EHF antennasof the respective devices may be even smaller and more closely spacedthan UHF antennas. In some cases, this may facilitate use of antennaarrays within a UE 115. However, the propagation of EHF transmissionsmay be subject to even greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter rangethan SHF or UHF transmissions. Techniques disclosed herein may beemployed across transmissions that use one or more different frequencyregions, and designated use of bands across these frequency regions maydiffer by country or regulating body.

In some cases, the system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensedradio frequency spectrum bands. For example, the system 100 may employLicense Assisted Access (LAA), LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio accesstechnology, or new radio technology in an unlicensed band such as the 5GHz ISM band. When operating in unlicensed radio frequency spectrumbands, wireless devices such as base stations 105 and UEs 115 may employlisten-before-talk (LBT) procedures to ensure a frequency channel isclear before transmitting data. In some cases, operations in unlicensedbands may be based on a CA configuration in conjunction with CCsoperating in a licensed band (e.g., LAA). Operations in unlicensedspectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions,peer-to-peer transmissions, or a combination of these. Duplexing inunlicensed spectrum may be based on frequency division duplexing (FDD),time division duplexing (TDD), or a combination of both.

In some examples, base station 105 or UE 115 may be equipped withmultiple antennas, which may be used to employ techniques such astransmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output(MIMO) communications, or beamforming. For example, the system 100 mayuse a transmission scheme between a transmitting device (e.g., a basestation 105) and a receiving device (e.g., a UE 115), where thetransmitting device is equipped with multiple antennas and the receivingdevices are equipped with one or more antennas. MIMO communications mayemploy multipath signal propagation to increase the spectral efficiencyby transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatiallayers, which may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. The multiplesignals may, for example, be transmitted by the transmitting device viadifferent antennas or different combinations of antennas. Likewise, themultiple signals may be received by the receiving device via differentantennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiplesignals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream, and may carrybits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) ordifferent data streams. Different spatial layers may be associated withdifferent antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMOtechniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) where multiple spatiallayers are transmitted to the same receiving device, and multiple-userMIMO (MU-MIMO) where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multipledevices.

Beamforming, which may also be referred to as spatial filtering,directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signalprocessing technique that may be used at a transmitting device or areceiving device (e.g., a base station 105 or a UE 115) to shape orsteer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam or receive beam) along aspatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device.Beamforming may be achieved by combining the signals communicated viaantenna elements of an antenna array such that signals propagating atparticular orientations with respect to an antenna array experienceconstructive interference while others experience destructiveinterference. The adjustment of signals communicated via the antennaelements may include a transmitting device or a receiving deviceapplying certain amplitude and phase offsets to signals carried via eachof the antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustmentsassociated with each of the antenna elements may be defined by abeamforming weight set associated with a particular orientation (e.g.,with respect to the antenna array of the transmitting device orreceiving device, or with respect to some other orientation).

In one example, a base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antennaarrays to conduct beamforming operations for directional communicationswith a UE 115. For instance, some signals (e.g. synchronization signals,reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) maybe transmitted by a base station 105 multiple times in differentdirections, which may include a signal being transmitted according todifferent beamforming weight sets associated with different directionsof transmission. Transmissions in different beam directions may be usedto identify (e.g., by the base station 105 or a receiving device, suchas a UE 115) a beam direction for subsequent transmission and/orreception by the base station 105. Some signals, such as data signalsassociated with a particular receiving device, may be transmitted by abase station 105 in a single beam direction (e.g., a directionassociated with the receiving device, such as a UE 115). In someexamples, the beam direction associated with transmissions along asingle beam direction may be determined based at least in part on asignal that was transmitted in different beam directions. For example, aUE 115 may receive one or more of the signals transmitted by the basestation 105 in different directions, and the UE 115 may report to thebase station 105 an indication of the signal it received with a highestsignal quality, or an otherwise acceptable signal quality. Althoughthese techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted inone or more directions by a base station 105, a UE 115 may employsimilar techniques for transmitting signals multiple times in differentdirections (e.g., for identifying a beam direction for subsequenttransmission or reception by the UE 115), or transmitting a signal in asingle direction (e.g., for transmitting data to a receiving device).

A receiving device (e.g., a UE 115, which may be an example of a mmWreceiving device) may try multiple receive beams when receiving varioussignals from the base station 105, such as synchronization signals,reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals. Forexample, a receiving device may try multiple receive directions byreceiving via different antenna subarrays, by processing receivedsignals according to different antenna subarrays, by receiving accordingto different receive beamforming weight sets applied to signals receivedat a plurality of antenna elements of an antenna array, or by processingreceived signals according to different receive beamforming weight setsapplied to signals received at a plurality of antenna elements of anantenna array, any of which may be referred to as “listening” accordingto different receive beams or receive directions. In some examples areceiving device may use a single receive beam to receive along a singlebeam direction (e.g., when receiving a data signal). The single receivebeam may be aligned in a beam direction determined based at least inpart on listening according to different receive beam directions (e.g.,a beam direction determined to have a highest signal strength, highestsignal-to-noise ratio, or otherwise acceptable signal quality based atleast in part on listening according to multiple beam directions).

In some cases, the antennas of a base station 105 or UE 115 may belocated within one or more antenna arrays, which may support MIMOoperations, or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or morebase station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antennaassembly, such as an antenna tower. In some cases, antennas or antennaarrays associated with a base station 105 may be located in diversegeographic locations. A base station 105 may have an antenna array witha number of rows and columns of antenna ports that the base station 105may use to support beamforming of communications with a UE 115.Likewise, a UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that may supportvarious MIMO or beamforming operations.

In some cases, the system 100 may be a packet-based network that operateaccording to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communicationsat the bearer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer may beIP-based. A Radio Link Control (RLC) layer may in some cases performpacket segmentation and reassembly to communicate over logical channels.A Medium Access Control (MAC) layer may perform priority handling andmultiplexing of logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layermay also use hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) to provideretransmission at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In thecontrol plane, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer mayprovide establishment, configuration, and maintenance of an RRCconnection between a UE 115 and a base station 105 or core network 130supporting radio bearers for user plane data. At the Physical (PHY)layer, transport channels may be mapped to physical channels.

In some cases, UEs 115 and base stations 105 may support retransmissionsof data to increase the likelihood that data is received successfully.HARQ feedback is one technique of increasing the likelihood that data isreceived correctly over a communication links 125. HARQ may include acombination of error detection (e.g., using a cyclic redundancy check(CRC)), forward error correction (FEC), and retransmission (e.g.,automatic repeat request (ARQ)). HARQ may improve throughput at the MAClayer in poor radio conditions (e.g., signal-to-noise conditions). Insome cases, a wireless device may support same-slot HARQ feedback, wherethe device may provide HARQ feedback in a specific slot for datareceived in a previous symbol in the slot. In other cases, the devicemay provide HARQ feedback in a subsequent slot, or according to someother time interval.

Time intervals in LTE or new radio may be expressed in multiples of abasic time unit, which may, for example, refer to a sampling period ofT_(s)=1/30,720,000 seconds. Time intervals of a communications resourcemay be organized according to radio frames each having a duration of 10milliseconds (ms), where the frame period may be expressed asT_(f)=307,200 T_(s). The radio frames may be identified by a systemframe number (SFN) ranging from 0 to 1023. Each frame may include 10subframes numbered from 0 to 9, and each subframe may have a duration of1 ms. A subframe may be further divided into 2 slots each having aduration of 0.5 ms, and each slot may contain 6 or 7 modulation symbolperiods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix prepended toeach symbol period). Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period maycontain 2048 sampling periods. In some cases, a subframe may be thesmallest scheduling unit of the system 100, and may be referred to as atransmission time interval (TTI). In other cases, a smallest schedulingunit of the system 100 may be shorter than a subframe or may bedynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of shortened TTIs (sTTIs) or inselected component carriers using sTTIs).

In some wireless communications systems, a slot may further be dividedinto multiple mini-slots containing one or more symbols. In someinstances, a symbol of a mini-slot or a mini-slot may be the smallestunit of scheduling. Each symbol may vary in duration depending on thesubcarrier spacing or frequency band of operation, for example. Further,some wireless communications systems may implement slot aggregation inwhich multiple slots or mini-slots are aggregated together and used forcommunication between a UE 115 and a base station 105.

The term “carrier” refers to a set of radio frequency spectrum resourceshaving a defined physical layer structure for supporting communicationsover a communication link 125. For example, a carrier of a communicationlink 125 may include a portion of a radio frequency spectrum band thatis operated according to physical layer channels for a given radioaccess technology. Each physical layer channel may carry user data,control information, or other signaling. A carrier may be associatedwith a pre-defined frequency channel (e.g., an Evolved UniversalTerrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) absolute radio frequency channelnumber (EARFCN)), and may be positioned according to a channel rasterfor discovery by UEs 115. Carriers may be downlink or uplink (e.g., inan FDD mode), or be configured to carry downlink and uplinkcommunications (e.g., in a TDD mode). In some examples, signal waveformstransmitted over a carrier may be made up of multiple sub-carriers(e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques such asorthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fouriertransform-spread-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)).

The organizational structure of the carriers may be different fordifferent radio access technologies (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, new radio, etc.).For example, communications over a carrier may be organized according toTTIs or slots, each of which may include user data as well as controlinformation or signaling to support decoding the user data. A carriermay also include dedicated acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronizationsignals or system information, etc.) and control signaling thatcoordinates operation for the carrier. In some examples (e.g., in acarrier aggregation configuration), a carrier may also have acquisitionsignaling or control signaling that coordinates operations for othercarriers.

Physical channels may be multiplexed on a carrier according to varioustechniques. A physical control channel and a physical data channel maybe multiplexed on a downlink carrier, for example, using time divisionmultiplexing (TDM) techniques, frequency division multiplexing (FDM)techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. In some examples, controlinformation transmitted in a physical control channel may be distributedbetween different control regions in a cascaded manner (e.g., between acommon control region or common search space and one or more UE-specificcontrol regions or UE-specific search spaces).

A carrier may be associated with a particular bandwidth of the radiofrequency spectrum, and in some examples the carrier bandwidth may bereferred to as a “system bandwidth” of the carrier or the system 100.For example, the carrier bandwidth may be one of a number ofpredetermined bandwidths for carriers of a particular radio accesstechnology (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 MHz). In someexamples, each served UE 115 may be configured for operating overportions or all of the carrier bandwidth. In other examples, some UEs115 may be configured for operation using a narrowband protocol typethat is associated with a predefined portion or range (e.g., set ofsubcarriers or RBs) within a carrier (e.g., “in-band” deployment of anarrowband protocol type).

In a system employing MCM techniques, a resource element may consist ofone symbol period (e.g., a duration of one modulation symbol) and onesubcarrier, where the symbol period and subcarrier spacing are inverselyrelated. The number of bits carried by each resource element may dependon the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme).Thus, the more resource elements that a UE 115 receives and the higherthe order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate may be forthe UE 115. In MIMO systems, a wireless communications resource mayrefer to a combination of a radio frequency spectrum resource, a timeresource, and a spatial resource (e.g., spatial layers), and the use ofmultiple spatial layers may further increase the data rate forcommunications with a UE 115.

Devices of the system 100 (e.g., base stations 105 or UEs 115) may havea hardware configuration that supports communications over a particularcarrier bandwidth, or may be configurable to support communications overone of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the system 100 mayinclude base stations 105 and/or UEs that can support simultaneouscommunications via carriers associated with more than one differentcarrier bandwidth. The system 100 may support communication with a UE115 on multiple cells or carriers, a feature which may be referred to ascarrier aggregation (CA) or multi-carrier operation. A UE 115 may beconfigured with multiple downlink CCs and one or more uplink CCsaccording to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregationmay be used with both FDD and TDD component carriers.

In some cases, the system 100 may utilize enhanced component carriers(eCCs). An eCC may be characterized by one or more features includingwider carrier or frequency channel bandwidth, shorter symbol duration,shorter TTI duration, or modified control channel configuration. In somecases, an eCC may be associated with a carrier aggregation configurationor a dual connectivity configuration (e.g., when multiple serving cellshave a suboptimal or non-ideal backhaul link). An eCC may also beconfigured for use in unlicensed spectrum or shared spectrum (e.g.,where more than one operator is allowed to use the spectrum). An eCCcharacterized by wide carrier bandwidth may include one or more segmentsthat may be utilized by UEs 115 that are not capable of monitoring thewhole carrier bandwidth or are otherwise configured to use a limitedcarrier bandwidth (e.g., to conserve power).

In some cases, an eCC may utilize a different symbol duration than otherCCs, which may include use of a reduced symbol duration as compared withsymbol durations of the other CCs. A shorter symbol duration may beassociated with increased spacing between adjacent subcarriers. Adevice, such as a UE 115 or base station 105, utilizing eCCs maytransmit wideband signals (e.g., according to frequency channel orcarrier bandwidths of 20, 40, 60, 80 MHz, etc.) at reduced symboldurations (e.g., 16.67 microseconds). A TTI in eCC may consist of one ormultiple symbol periods. In some cases, the TTI duration (that is, thenumber of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable.

Wireless communications systems such as a new radio system may utilizeany combination of licensed, shared, and unlicensed spectrum bands,among others. The flexibility of eCC symbol duration and subcarrierspacing may allow for the use of eCC across multiple spectrums. In someexamples, new radio shared spectrum may increase spectrum utilizationand spectral efficiency, specifically through dynamic vertical (e.g.,across frequency) and horizontal (e.g., across time) sharing ofresources.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a system 200 that supports secondarycell activation and deactivation enhancements in new radio in accordancewith various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, system200 may implement aspects of system 100. System 200 may include a basestation 205, a base station 210, and a UE 215, which may be examples ofthe corresponding devices described with reference to FIG. 1. System 200may operate according to a radio access technology such as a nextgeneration 5G or millimeter wave (mmW) new radio system, althoughtechniques described herein may be applied to any radio accesstechnology (e.g., Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-A)) andto systems that may concurrently use two or more different radio accesstechnologies (e.g., next generation 5G mmW new radio and LTE). Basestation 205 may be associated with a coverage area 235, and base station210 may be associated with a coverage area 240. Aspects of the followingcommunication examples are described as occurring between base station205, base station 210, and UE 215.

UE 215 may be configured with dual-connectivity, where UE 215 mayreceive data transmitted by or transmit data to base station 205 or basestation 210. Base station 205 may be a primary cell next generationNodeB (gNB) or evolved NodeBs (eNBs), and base station 210 may be asecondary cell, such as a secondary gNB (SgNB). When operating indual-connectivity mode, UE 215 may have increased data transmissioncapabilities, but may also have increased power consumption. Forexample, power consumption for UE 215 may be increased indual-connectivity because UE 215 may be monitoring for and receivingdata transmissions from both base station 205 and base station 210.System 200 may efficiently manage data transmission capabilities, whilealso decreasing power consumption for UE 215 by providing improvedsecondary cell activation and deactivation techniques for base station205 and UE 215.

Base station 205 may configure UE 215 with one or more componentcarriers. In some examples, a subset of the component carriers may bedeactivated except a primary component carrier. In some cases, basestation 205 may activate one or more secondary component carriers, inaddition to the primary component carrier, to increase a downlinkthroughput. For example, if data throughput is relatively low or thedata has a relatively high latency target, base station 205 as a primarycell may instruct UE 215 to activate or deactivate a secondary cell(e.g., base station 210). UE 215 may also be configured to supportcarrier aggregation to increase a receiver bandwidth for datatransmission from base station 205 or base station 210. Each aggregatedcarrier may be referred to as a component carrier. In some cases, UE 215may use contiguous component carriers within a same operating frequencyband (e.g., intra-band carrier aggregation), or non-contiguous componentcarriers belonging to the same operating frequency with a gap betweenthe component carriers. In some cases, during downlink operations, powerconsumption by UE 215 increases with the size of configured radiofrequency receiver bandwidth. Because UE 215 receives data transmissionsdiscontinuously from base station 205 or base station 210, UE 215 maysupport variable receiver bandwidth. In one example, for intra-bandcarrier aggregation, the receiver bandwidth of UE 215 may be a widebandradio frequency. In another example, UE 215 may monitor a downlinkcontrol channel (e.g., physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)) usinga smaller radio frequency bandwidth (e.g., narrowband) and receive datausing a larger radio frequency bandwidth (e.g., wideband), based on abandwidth configuration.

Bandwidth configuration may include base station 205 providing abandwidth part (BWP) adaptation for UE 215. A BWP may include a numberof resource blocks allocated to UE 215 for communicating with basestation 205 or base station 210. In some cases, multiple componentcarriers may be configured according to carrier aggregation techniques,which may include a primary carrier (also referred to as a primary cellcarrier or primary cell) and one or more secondary component carriers(also referred to as secondary cell carriers or secondary cells). Eachcomponent carrier may have one or more BWPs. For example, if arelatively small amount of data is to be transferred between UE 215 andbase station 205, a single BWP may be used for a transmission, and if arelatively large amount of data is to be transferred, two or more BWPsmay be used for the transmission. Bandwidth parts may be configured withdifferent bandwidth. Narrow bandwidth may be configured for BWP to beused if the amount of data to be transferred is small; and widerbandwidth may be configured otherwise. UE 215 may dynamically switchbetween BWPs (e.g., from narrowband to wideband) based on the bandwidthconfiguration.

In some cases, to reduce a power consumption of UE 215, base station 205may configure BWPs for UE 215 to support dynamic bandwidth adaptation.Base station 205 may signal a BWP activation, a BWP deactivation, or aBWP switching, or any combination thereof via DCI signaling. For asingle carrier, UE 215 may dynamically adapt a radio frequency bandwidthbased on a BWP switching signaled in a DCI from base station 205.Dynamically adapting (i.e., switching) between a BWP with a narrowbandbandwidth and a BWP with a wideband bandwidth may result in power savingfor UE 215.

In some cases for carrier aggregation, power saving for UE 215 may bemore complicated compared to the single carrier case. That is, a BWPadaptation for each carrier, from e.g., a BWP with a narrowbandbandwidth to a BWP with a wideband bandwidth, may not be as effective inproducing a same power saving result for UE 215 compared to the singlecarrier case. For example, intra-band contiguous carrier aggregationthat employs a wideband radio frequency receiver, power saving for UE215 may be less evident. In some cases including multiple activatedsecondary cells (e.g., SgNBs), even if these secondary cells operatewith narrowband BWP, an overall receiver's (i.e., UE 215) radiofrequency bandwidth may not be reduced by a significant amount, becausethe receiver's radio frequency bandwidth may be based on an overall spanof all of the secondary serving cells active BWPs, and not by thebandwidth of a single active BWP.

For example, considering a component carrier bandwidth of 400 MHz forbase station 205, base station 205 may configure one or more UEconfigurations including: a single wideband component carrier also of400 MHz bandwidth, and an intra-band contiguous component carrierincluding four carriers each with 100 MHz bandwidth. For the first UEconfiguration (i.e., single wideband component carrier), dynamic BWPadaptation may be effective in achieving power saving for UE 215. Insome examples, base station 205 may configure a 40 MHz bandwidth fornarrowband BWP and a 400 MHz bandwidth for a wideband BWP, and configureUE 215 to dynamically switch between the two based on receiving DCIsignaling indicating the BWP adaptation/switch from base station 205.Alternatively, for the second UE configuration (i.e., intra-bandcontiguous component carriers), assuming a same ratio between BWPs, abandwidth may be configured to include 10 MHz for narrowband BWP and 100MHz for wideband BWP. In this cases, even if all carriers are switchedto a narrowband BWP, the overall receiver's (i.e., UE 215) radiofrequency bandwidth cannot be reduced substantially as compared to thesingle wideband component carrier case. Instead, the overall receiver'sradio frequency bandwidth would be reduced to, for example, 220 MHz(e.g., 2×(100 MHz)+2×(10 MHz)=220 MHz.

Base station 205 may indicate an activation of a BWP to UE 215 based onDCI signaling. The DCI signaling may be exclusive from a downlink grantand the BWP. By using DCI signaling to indicate activation of a BWP,power consumption of UE 215 may be reduced due to the low latencyassociated with the DCI signaling. In some cases, UE 215 may establish aconnection with base station 205 in which one or more component carriersmay be configured with one or more BWPs. Base station 205 may indicatewhich BWP is active for a transmission in DCI that is transmittedsubsequent to the configuration of the one or more component carriers,and UE 215 may activate a corresponding BWP or component carrier basedon the indication.

In some cases, base station 205 may configure one or more secondarycells to switch from a dormant state to a full activated state based ona BWP switching DCI transmitted on a primary cell without a grant. TheBWP switching DCI may include a BWP activation control information forthe one or more secondary cells associated with UE 215. In some cases,base station 205 may configure the secondary cell to switch from thedormant state to a full activated state based on a BWP switching DCItransmitted on a primary cell. The BWP switching DCI may include acontrol field indicator (CIF).

In some cases, base station 205 may instruct UE 215 to activate ordeactivate a secondary cell (e.g., base station 210) based on a changein data throughput requirements for UE 215. In some examples, a durationto activate or deactivate a secondary cell (e.g., base station 210) maybe directly proportional to a latency associated with performing radiofrequency bandwidth adaptation. For instance, in some examples ofwireless communication systems such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE),secondary cell activation may be signaled to a UE via a medium accesscontrol (MAC) control element (CE). For example, a bit field in the MACCE may indicate an activation or deactivation status of one or moresecondary cells (e.g., base station 210). Additionally, secondary celldeactivation may be signaled to a UE via a MAC CE or alternatively byusing a timer (e.g., expiration of a secondary cell deactivation timer).However, using MAC CE to indicate secondary cell activation ordeactivation in next generation 5G or mmW new radio systems e.g., to UE215 may have a higher latency compared to providing an indication of BWPadaptation to UE 215 via DCI signaling. That is, secondary cellactivation has a higher overhead because when the secondary cell isactivated it remains activated for an extended duration because of thehigh latency associated with base station 205 instructing UE 215 todeactivate a secondary cell (e.g. base station 210) using MAC CEsignaling, compared to the BWP adaptation indication via DCI signaling.In addition, power consumption for UE 215 is also effected, by havingthe secondary cell remain activated for extended periods, due to PDCCHmonitoring on the activated secondary cell by UE 215. As such, benefitsassociated with low latency BWP adaptation for UE 215 would beundermined if secondary cell activation or deactivation became abottleneck for system 200. As a result, consistency between BWP andsecondary cell activation or deactivation may be desirable.

In some examples of next generation 5G or mmW new radio systems, UE 215may be configured with new radio tracking reference signal frameworkthat may allow express BWP adaptation compared to, for example, LTE loopconvergence based on cell-specific reference signals. As a result, UE215 may be capable to report valid channel state information earlierthan the 24 millisecond (ms) (e.g., n+24 timeline in LTE). MAC CEsignaling compared to DCI signaling may have proportionally higherimpact to the overall reporting of channel state information.

Secondary cell activation or deactivation using DCI signaling may befaster (e.g., have a lower latency) and more efficient compared toconventional techniques. For example, MAC CE signaling may include thefollowing disadvantages that may affect data throughput, efficiency, andprocessing resources and power consumption of UE 215: extra latency dueto PDSCH decoding, a 10% block error rate on a first transmission,hybrid automatic repeat request (HARD) delay, and L2 delay, amongothers. DCI signaling however may remedy some or all of thesedisadvantages of MAC CE signaling e.g., DCI signaling may reduce thelatency by at least 60% even when considering similar acknowledgment ornon-acknowledgment delay related to PDSCH data transmission.

In some examples, to reduce latency signaling associated with secondarycell activation and deactivation, base station 205 may configure adownlink control information (DCI) format that may include a bitmap forsecondary cell activation and deactivation. In some case, the bitmap mayfollow features from those included in MAC CE. For example, base station205 may reconfigure a DCI format to include bitmap provided by existingMAC CEs. This reconfigured DCI format may also be referred to as aL1-CE. That is, control elements transmitted using MAC CE signaling maybe transmitted by base station 205 using DCI signaling.

In some cases, a BWP DCI of a primary cell (e.g., base station 205) maycarry a control bitmap associated with one or more secondary cells.Based on the control bitmap, individual secondary cells may be signaledto transition to another BWP from a zero BWP. To conserve the number ofbits used in the control bitmap, at least one bit may be assigned toeach secondary cell. For example, at least one bit of the bitmap mayinclude a secondary cell indicator (e.g., identifier (ID)). In someexamples, if the at least one bit is set, the secondary cell maytransition to a first BWP which is preconfigured. Alternatively, in someexamples, only activated secondary cells may be mapped to the controlbitmap.

Base station 205 may also reconfigure a downlink grant to include anindication instructing UE 215 to activate or deactivate a secondary cell(e.g., base station 210). For example, base station 205 may configure aDCI to include a bitmap for secondary cell activation and deactivation.In some examples for BWP switching, base station 205 may configure afield in a BWP DCI that may indicate a BWP identifier (ID) field. Assuch, for a downlink grant transmitted from base station 205 to UE 215,UE 215 may identify the intended BWP. For example, UE 215 may operateand receive on a first BWP, a downlink grant from base station 205. Thedownlink grant may include a first field including a bitmap forsecondary cell activation or deactivation and a second field indicatinga BWP ID that may indicate a second BWP, which UE 215 may transition to.Thus, base station 205 may transmit a BWP DCI that includes downlinkgrant information, bitmap for secondary cell activation anddeactivation, and a BWP ID for UE 215.

Base station 205 or base station 210 may be a mmW base station that maytransmit a beamformed transmission on an active beam to UE 215. Forexample, base station 205 may transmit a BWP DCI 225 on an active beamto UE 215 via beamformed transmission 220-a. The BWP DCI 225 may includea bitmap, as described herein, with a number of bits related to one ormore secondary cells. In some cases, a bitmap may include a number ofbits (e.g., at least one bit or eight bits). Base station 205 may useeach bit to indicate a status of a secondary cell e.g., an activation ordeactivation status of a secondary cell. For example, a bit value “1”may indicate that a secondary cell is activated or to be activated by UE215, and a bit value “0” may indicate that a secondary cell isdeactivated or to be deactivated by UE 215. In some examples, at leastone bit of the bitmap may be reserved (e.g., for padding purposes).

In some cases, a number of secondary cells supported and configured bybase station 205 may be resource extensive for indicating all secondarycells in the BWP DCI 225. That is, a bitmap may be exceed a length totransmit within available bits in the BWP DCI 225. Base station 205 mayalso support N secondary cells using M bits, where N and M are positiveintegers. For example, base station 205 may have 31 configured secondarycells (including base station 210). The BWP DCI 225 may have eight bitsavailable for a bitmap, and thus may be incapable of supporting a bitmapwith 31 bits. To remedy the issues related to bit availability in theBWP DCI 225, base station 205 may group multiple secondary cells to beassociated with at least one bit. For example, a first set of secondarycells (e.g., secondary cells 1 through 8) may be assigned to a first bit(C1) and a second set of secondary cells (e.g., secondary cells 9through 16) may be assigned to a second bit (C2), etc.

Base station 205 may use higher layer signaling to signal to UE 215grouping of secondary cells. Higher layer signaling may include radioresource control (RRC) signaling or MAC CE signaling during secondarycell configuration. In some cases, base station 205 may indicategrouping of secondary cells using higher layer signaling, and use BWPDCI to indicate activation or deactivation of individual secondary cellsof a group. For example, base station 205 may indicate a group ofsecondary cells (e.g., secondary cells 1 through 8) using higher layersignaling, and subsequently transmit BWP DCI 225 including a bitmapindicating activation or deactivation of individual secondary cells ofthe group (e.g., the second and fourth secondary cell of the group areto be activated). In some examples, the BWP DCI 225 may support anadditional bit that may indicate a group of secondary cells. The BWP DCI225, in this case, may have a bit location corresponding to a groupassociated with the second and fourth secondary cell and a bit valueindicating that these cells are to be activated. As such, UE 215 mayfirst identify a group of secondary cells based on a bit value in agroup field in a higher layer signaling message, and then identify theindividual secondary cells for activation or deactivation in a BWP DCI.Additionally, UE 215 may activate or deactivate a secondary cell basedon an AND operation i.e., for a secondary cell to be activated ordeactivated both the MAC CE and the BWP DCI may have to indicate anactivation or deactivation indication.

A transmission from base station 205 may be a beamformed or directionaltransmission directed towards UE 215. For example, base station 205 mayperform a beam sweep by beamformed transmission 220-a through 220-g.Base station 205 may transmit downlink signals in a beamformed mannerand sweep through the angular coverage region for the geographiccoverage area 212. Each beamformed transmission 220-a through 220-g maybe transmitted in a beam sweeping operation in different directions soas to cover the geographic coverage area 212 of base station 205. Forexample, beamformed transmission 220-a may be transmitted in a firstdirection, beamformed transmission 220-b may be transmitted in a seconddirection, beamformed transmission 220-c may be transmitted in a thirddirection, beamformed transmission 220-d may be transmitted in a fourthdirection, etc.

The beamformed transmission 220-a through 220-g may additionally betransmitted at variable beam widths, at different elevation angles, etc.In some examples, beamformed transmission 220-a through 220-g may beassociated with a beam index, e.g., an indicator identifying a beamassociated with a beamformed transmission. Base station 205 may,additionally or alternatively, transmit beamformed transmission 220-athrough 220-g during different symbol periods of a subframe or slot. Forexample, base station 205 may transmit beamformed transmission 220-aduring a first symbol period (e.g., symbol 0), beamformed transmission220-b during a second symbol period (e.g., symbol 1), beamformedtransmission 220-c during a third symbol period (e.g., symbol 2),beamformed transmission 220-d during a fourth symbol period (e.g.,symbol 3), etc.

By configuring a new DCI format or reconfiguring an existing DCI format,base station 205 may substitute MAC CE signaling with DCI signaling forsecondary cell activation and deactivation. Hence, reducing latency insystem 200 and decreasing power consumption by UE 215. This techniquealso supports concurrent BWP switching on a primary cell (e.g., basestation 205) and secondary cell activation or deactivation (e.g., basestation 210), which may minimize radio frequency disruption in system200. As a result, base station 205 may signal to UE 215 in a BWP DCIboth BWP switching and secondary cell activation and deactivationinstructions, simultaneously.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a method 300 that supports secondarycell activation and deactivation enhancements in new radio in accordancewith various aspects of the present disclosure. In some cases, method300 may illustrate an example technique for parsing fields of a BWP DCI.In some examples, method 300 may implement aspect of system 100 and 200.The operations of method 300 may be implemented by a UE or itscomponents as described herein. For example, method 300 may beimplemented by UE 215. In some example, UE 215 may execute a set ofcodes to control the functional elements of UE 215 to perform thefunctions described below. Additionally, or alternatively, UE 215 mayperform aspects of the functions described below using special-purposehardware.

At 305, UE 215 may receive a BWP DCI. For example, UE 215 may receivethe BWP DCI from base station 205 via a beamformed transmission. The BWPDCI may be a downlink grant including information associated with activeBWP(s), secondary cell activation or deactivation instructions, or a BWPID, or any combination thereof.

In some examples, group of secondary cells BWP signaling may besupported in a single DCI. For instance, M secondary cells may requireBWP signaling, and N bits for a control bitmap may be required to signalthe M secondary cells, where M and N are positive integers. In order touse more bits for the M secondary cell BWP signaling, base station 205may reconfigure a DCI format. For example, a DCI format may use one bitfor resource assignment indication (e.g., resource assignmentvalid/invalid), 25 bits for resource assignment for 20 MHz BWP, fivebits for modulation coding scheme (MCS) indication, 3 or 4 bits for HARQID, two bits for redundancy version (RV), and two bits for physicaluplink control channel (PUCCH) resources. Base station 205 mayreconfigure the DCI format by adding a two bit field for BWP ID. In someexamples, a DCI format may be reconfigured to have a BWP ID fieldindicating a target BWP ID and a number of fields for downlink grant,when providing BWP switching for base station 205 (e.g., a primary cell)via scheduling (e.g., a valid downlink grant with BWP ID information).In some cases, a BWP DCI may be formatted without scheduling information(e.g. a dummy grant). This may be indicated by a zero-resourceassignment. In this case, the DCI format may be reconfigured to havebits associated with the MCS, HARQ ID, and RV fields nulled. In somecases, base station 205 may reconfigure the DCI format to indicatesecondary cell activation and deactivation by using zero-resourceassignment and reassigning the MCS, HARQ ID, and RV fields for secondarycell activation and deactivation control fields. For example, in someexamples of wireless communication systems such as LTE, the MCS, HARQID, and RV fields may occupy 10 bits. Base station 205 may reconfigurethe 10 bits e.g., by having one bit for secondary cell activation ordeactivation indication and the remaining nine bits for secondary cellactivation or deactivation control information. In some examples, a samecell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) for the reconfiguredDCI format may be used. In some cases, normal primary cell BWP switchingsignaling may have two modes. A first mode with scheduling may includepopulating a BWP ID with a target BWP ID, and remainder of fields may bea downlink grant. A second mode without scheduling may includeindicating zero resource assignment that may indicate e.g., the MCS, theHARQ ID, and the RV fields as nulled.

In some cases, base station 205 may introduce a CIF field in a BWPswitching DCI to signal BWP switching in DCI for secondary cells. Thebase station 205 may alternatively provide an enhanced BWP switching DCIon the primary cell. If zero resource assignment is supported, manyfields can be repurposed for secondary cell BWP control bitmap. The basestation 205 may in some cases, provide dedicated RNTI for DCI containingsecondary cell BWP control bitmap.

At 310, UE 215 may determine whether a zero-resource assignment is validfor the BWP DCI. In some cases, (e.g., for LTE resource allocation type0) zero-resource assignment may be indicated in a resource allocationfield. For instance, in a resource allocation type 0, setting all bitsin the resource allocation field may indicate zero-resource assignment.In some examples, the BWP DCI may have a field for a zero-resourceassignment indication, and UE 215 may determine whether thezero-resource assignment is valid (e.g., used) based on a bit value ofthe field. For example, a bit value set to “1” may be an indication thatzero-resource assignment is inapplicable. In the case that zero-resourceassignment is inapplicable, UE 215 may at 315 interpret downlink grantand BWP ID for a primary cell. In this case, the BWP DCI may be aregular downlink grant including an active BWP ID and resource blockgroups allocated for communicating with base station 205 (e.g., primarycell). A BWP may be configured with different bandwidth. Narrowbandwidth may be configured for BWP to be used if the amount of data tobe transferred is small; and wider bandwidth may be configuredotherwise. UE 215 may dynamically switch between BWP (e.g., fromnarrowband to wideband) based on the BWP ID provided in the BWP DCI.

Alternatively, in the case that zero-resource assignment is applicable,UE 215 may at 320 parse the BWP DCI to identify a secondary cellindicator. A downlink grant having a zero-resource assignment may be adummy grant (i.e., no actual allocation of resources may be provided toUE 215 because the downlink grant fields are zeroed). The secondary cellindicator may specify to UE 215 presence of a bitmap for secondary cellactivation or deactivation. The bitmap may include a number of bits,that correspond to the number of secondary cells whose BWP can beactivated based on a set value of each corresponding bit in the bitmap.If a bit value is set, a corresponding secondary cell (if activated) mayswitch to a first active BWP. Alternatively, if the bit value is not setthe corresponding secondary cell (is not already activated) no action istaken. If UE 215 determines that a secondary cell indicator exists, UE215 may at 325 interpret secondary cell control fields. That is, UE 215may process a bitmap associated with secondary cell activation ordeactivation to determine which cells are indicated as activated ordeactivated. However, if UE 215 determines that no secondary cellindicator exists i.e., the received BWP DCI does not include anyinformation associated with secondary cell activation or deactivation,UE 215 may at 330 interpret a primary cell (e.g., base station 205) BWPID. In some cases, UE 215 may regardless of the secondary cell indicatorexisting, interpret the primary cell BWP ID. In response to identifyingthe downlink grant and BWP ID at 315 or 330, UE 215 may at 335 determinethat the BWP DCI has been completely processed.

In some examples, UE 215 may transmit an acknowledgment (ACK) ornon-acknowledgment (NACK) message to base station 205 to indicatewhether decoding of the BWP DCI was successful or unsuccessful. In somecases, even where zero-resource assignment is applicable (e.g., dummygrant for downlink resource allocation), UE 215 may transmit an ACK orNACK message on PUCCH resources. Hence, reliability associated withusing BWP DCI signaling may be provided in system 200.

With reference to FIG. 2, in some cases, base station 205 may provide asecondary cell activation or deactivation status based on MAC CE andBWP. In this case, UE 215 may determine that a secondary cell or a groupof secondary cells are fully activated, partially activated or partiallydeactivated (where partially activated or partially deactivated are alsoreferred to as “in a dormant state”), or fully deactivated based on theMAC CE or the BWP, or both. For example, UE 215 may determine that oneor more secondary cells are fully activated when UE 215 receives anindication or instructions in a MAC CE from base station 205, anddetermines that an active BWP is any configured BWP other than azero-BWP. An active BWP being a non-zero BWP may be equivalent to thecase where at least one BWP is activated. A non-zero BWP may be anarrowband or wideband. In some cases, a non-zero BWP may include one ormore BWP configured with bandwidth greater than zero and up to a minimumof a maximum UE 215 bandwidth and a component carrier bandwidth of UE215. In some cases, system 200 may be configured such that a single BWPis active at a time. UE 215 may also infer that one or more secondarycells are activated based on the configured BWP being a non-zero BWP.

In another example, UE 215 may determine that one or more secondarycells are in a dormant state, when UE 215 receives an indication in aMAC CE from base station 205, and determines that an active BWP is azero-BWP. For example, base station 205 may indicate to UE 215 that asecondary cell or a group of secondary cells are in a dormant state bytransmitting a MAC CE to UE 215. UE 215 may receive the MAC CEindicating the dormant state secondary cell(s). UE 215 may alsodetermine that an active configured BWP is a zero-BWP. An active BWPbeing a zero-BWP may be equivalent to the case where none of the BWP isactivated (i.e., all BWPs are deactivated). As such, no transmission maybe supported between the secondary cell(s) and UE 215.

When a secondary cell is in a dormant state (i.e., active BWP is zeroBWP), UE 215 may refrain from monitoring a PDCCH on the secondary cell,and may not receive signaling within the cell. In other words, when anactive BWP for the secondary cell is the zero BWP, UE 215 may notmonitor the PDCCH and base station 205 may be unable to trigger a BWPswitching on the secondary cell (e.g., base station 210) based onsignaling within the secondary cell. In some cases, some form ofcross-cell signaling from a primary cell may be used in order to switchthe active BWP of the secondary cell from the zero BWP. For example, aBWP switching DCI may be transmitted on a primary cell (e.g., basestation 205) to schedule and switch the BWP of the secondary cellindicated in a control indicator field (CIF). However, in some cases,cross-carrier scheduling for secondary cell dormancy may be undesirable,and a group secondary cell signaling may not be supported.

In some examples, UE 215 behavior on the BWP that is deactivated mayinclude, but is not limited to: no transmission on an uplink sharedchannel on the BWP, no monitoring of the PDCCH on the BWP, notransmission on PUCCH on the BWP, no transmission on physical randomaccess channel (PRACH) on the BWP. UE 215 behavior on the BWP that isdeactivated may also include no flushing of HARQ buffers when performingBWP switching (unless an issued is identified with the HARQ buffers).

In some cases, gap-based operations may be supported by base station205, base station 210, and UE 215, even with the active BWP being azero-BWP. The gap-based operations may include radio resourcemeasurement (RRM) measurements, CSI measurements, channel qualityinformation (CQI), sounding reference signal (SRS), power head room(PHR) reporting, contention-based random access channel (RACH)procedure, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the dormantstate of the secondary cell(s) may also be a power saving state for UE215. For example, UE 215 may be capable to switch a radio frequencyreceiver to sleep mode during a zero-BWP. In some cases, a dormant statemay be configured for one or more secondary cells that are in anactivated state.

In some cases, switching to a dormant state may be based on BWPswitching DCI on the secondary cell indicating that a zero BWP should beactivated. For example base station 205 may transmit to UE 215 a BWPswitching DCI on the secondary cell indicating switching to a zero BWPfor the secondary cell. The BWP switching DCI may be transmitted withouta grant. In addition, this DCI may carry zero resource assignmentbecause it is useless to allocate resources on a zero BWP. Additionally,UE 215 may transmit HARQ acknowledgment on a configured PUCCH resourceassociated with the DCI that may be based on a downlink grant. In somecases, exiting the secondary cell dormant state may be based on thecontrol bit map associated with a BWP switching DCI carried on a primarycell. This BWP switching DCI may carry zero resource assignment for theprimary cell and include a secondary cell control indicator in additionto the control bitmap. A BWP ID field may be present in the controlbitmap that may indicate which BWP on the primary cell should getactivated. Here, UE 215 may also transmit a HARQ acknowledgment on theconfigured PUCCH resources.

In some examples, UE 215 may be capable to transition in and out of azero-BWP via BWP DCI signaling or by a BWP timer expiration. In the caseof using a BWP timer expiration, after the timer expires UE 215 mayautomatically switch to a default BWP. The default BWP may be configuredby base station 205, and may be a zero-BWP, a narrowband BWP, or awideband BWP. For example, after the BWP timer expires and the defaultBWP is a zero-BWP, UE 215 may switch the radio frequency receiver to alow power sleep mode. In some cases, cross-cell BWP switching DCI may beused to transition from a zero-BWP to another BWP (e.g., narrowband orwideband). In some cases, a zero-BWP may indicate that all secondarycells are deactivated. For example, UE 215 may determine or infer thatone or more secondary cells are fully deactivated based on the MAC CEand based on an active BWP being a zero-BWP. By exploiting both MAC CEand BWP DCI to indicate an activation or deactivation state of asecondary cell, system 200 may eliminate redundancy between MAC CE andDCI signaling.

Base station 205 may configure a DCI format to include at least two bitsfor a BWP ID. In some cases, the two bits may be configured to provideinformation associated with base station 205 and base station 210. Forexample, a first bit may indicate a BWP type (e.g., narrowband,wideband, zero-bandwidth) selection for base station 205 (e.g., aprimary cell) based on a bit value of the first bit, and a second bitmay provide activation or deactivation for a configured secondary cellbased on a bit value of the second bit. For example, for the first bit,a bit value “0” may indicate a zero-BWP and a bit value “1” may indicatea narrowband BWP or wideband BWP. In another example, for the secondbit, a bit value “0” may indicate that the secondary cell is deactivatedand a bit value “1” may indicate that the secondary cell is activated.In some examples, base station 205 may support more than two configuredBWP in a BWP ID field by configuring the BWP ID field to support morethan two bits. For example, to support four BWPs for a primary cell theBWP ID field may be configured with at least three bits.

In some cases where base station 205 may indicate an activation ordeactivation status of a group or subset of secondary cells via higherlayer signaling (e.g., MAC CE), at least one bit of the two bitsassociated with the BWP ID may indicate the activation or deactivationof the group or subset of secondary cells. For example, a first bit mayindicate a BWP type (e.g., narrowband, wideband, zero-bandwidth)selection for base station 205 (e.g., a primary cell) based on a bitvalue of the first bit, and a second bit may provide activation ordeactivation for a group or subset of configured secondary cells basedon a bit value of the second bit. For example, for the first bit, a bitvalue “0” may indicate a zero-BWP and a bit value “1” may indicate anarrowband BWP or wideband BWP. In another example, for the second bit,a bit value “0” may indicate that the group or subset of configuredsecondary cells are deactivated and a bit value “1” may indicate thatthe group or subset of configured secondary cells are activated. Byusing MAC CE and BWP DCI to signal activation or deactivation ofsecondary cells, may improve efficiency in system 200 and reduce powerconsumption of UE 215.

In some case, UE 215 may switch to a default BWP based on an expirationof a timer associated with a primary cell (e.g., base station 205). Thetimer may include a threshold amount of time that UE 215 has notreceived any data on from the primary cell. For example, UE 215 mayswitch to a narrowband BWP in response to the expiration of the timer.In some cases, UE 215 may deactivate an activated secondary cell withoutexplicit signaling by using a timer (e.g., secondary cell deactivationtimer). The timer may include a threshold amount of time (in radioframes or slots) for which UE 215 has not received any data from thesecondary cell (e.g., base station 210). In some case, after the timerhas expired UE 215 may transition to a default BWP. For example, UE 215may switch to a zero-BWP based on the expiration of the timer associatedwith a secondary cell. After switching to the zero-BWP, UE 215 mayswitch a received to a low power mode. By providing a default BWP thatmay be a zero-BWP or a narrowband BWP, UE 215 may reduce powerconsumption.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a BWP signaling 400 that supportssecondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements in new radio inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, BWPsignaling 400 may implement aspects of system 100 and 200. The BWPsignaling 400 may include base station 205, base station 210, and UE215, described with reference to FIG. 2. The BWP signaling 400 may beassociated with a radio access technology such as a next generation 5Gor millimeter wave (mmW) new radio system, although techniques describedherein may be applied to any radio access technology (e.g., Long-TermEvolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-A)) and to systems that mayconcurrently use two or more different radio access technologies (e.g.,next generation 5G mmW new radio and LTE).

In some examples of wireless communication systems such as LTE,secondary cell activation and deactivation may be signaled using MAC CE.However, communicating the secondary cell activation and deactivationusing MAC CE may have a latency that may adversely affect an overallefficiency of the system. In conventional systems, secondary cellactivation and deactivation may not be dynamically signaled. Instead, itwould be based on UE's near-term traffic loading and/or base station'sload-balancing requirement across carriers.

In some cases, BWP signaling may be associated with connected modediscontinuous reception (C-DRX) for a UE. The C-DRX may provide reducedpower consumption for the UE. In some examples, BWP signaling mayinclude a number of DRX cycles. Each DRX cycle may span 320 milliseconds(ms). A UE configured with C-DRX may also be associated with aninactivity timer. The inactivity timer may have a threshold duration of100 ms to 200 ms. In some cases, C-DRX operation may be common acrosscomponent carriers. For example, if a DRX state is in an ON duration,then all component carriers may be undergoing the ON durationcollectively. Based on DoU profiling results, even with C-DRX enabled, aUE may consume significant amount of power monitoring PDCCH withoutdecoding any grant. In addition, with one or more secondary cells beingactivated, the power consumption for a UE may be increased by a multiplebecause the one or more secondary cells all require PDCCH monitoring. Insome cases, to reduce power consumption associated with PDCCHmonitoring, cross-carrier scheduling may be used, so that PDCCHmonitoring is performed only on a primary cell. While this may decreasepower consumption for a UE, it does introduce other problems. Forexample, when the number of secondary cells is large, the burden on theprimary cell downlink control capacity could be too much.

In an example, a UE may be configured and activated with severalsecondary cells along with a primary cell. The UE may undergo C-DRX.Initially, the secondary cells may be activated with a first active BWP.When an amount of traffic becomes low, to avoid spending significantamount of time and energy monitoring PDCCH on all activated secondarycells and the primary cell, the secondary cells may be switched to adormant state (e.g., a partially activated state) for power saving. Whenthe amount of traffic is large enough again, the secondary cells may beswitched out of the dormant state onto the preconfigured first activeBWP. Traffic may be transferred across all activated, non-dormantsecondary cells. A switching from a full activated state to a dormantstate for the secondary cells may occur during a DRX cycle. Secondarycell dormancy may provide reduced power consumption for the UE. Forinstance, a UE may realize that ⅓ of power saving can be attained bymonitoring PDCCH only on a primary cell compared to all cells for a UEoperating with eight mmW carriers.

Improved techniques for secondary cell activation and deactivation asdescribed herein may reduce power consumption for a UE. In some cases,secondary cell dormancy based on BWP signaling 400 (i.e., BWP DCIsignaling) may realize this reduced power consumption for UE 215. TheBWP signaling 400 may illustrate an example including a primary cell 405and four secondary cells 410 (i.e., secondary cell 410-a, secondary cell410-b, secondary cell 410-c, and secondary cell 410-d). In someexamples, the secondary cells 410 and associated BWP may have beenconfigured previously via RRC signaling. In the first DRX cycle 420-a,only the primary cell 405 may be monitored during an ON duration of thefirst DRX cycle 420-a by UE 215. In this case, no grant may be decodedby UE 215.

In the second DRX cycle 420-b, base station 205 (e.g., gNB) may activateone or more or all of the secondary cells 410 via a group BWP DCI forBWP activation. During the second DRX cycle 420-b secondary cellmeasurement and feedback may be performed by UE 215. Afterwards, datatransmission can be scheduled on the secondary cells 410. When thetraffic burst has tapered off, the secondary cells can be quicklydeactivated either by a group BWP DCI or a timer expiration. In thethird DRX cycle 420-c and the fifth DRX cycle 420-e, no grant wasdecoded by UE 215 and only a PDCCH of the primary cell 405 is monitoredby UE 215. In the fourth DRX cycle 420-d, traffic may be scheduled andthe secondary cells may be activated and deactivated to handle theburst. In some cases, if the secondary cells 410 are not deactivatednear the end of the second DRX cycle 420-b, and are kept activatedthrough the fourth DRX cycle 420-d, UE 215 would monitor the PDCCH ofall secondary cells w in the third DRX cycle 420-c, draining powerunnecessarily.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a process flow 500 that supportssecondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements in new radio inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In someexamples, process flow 500 may implement aspects of system 100 and 200.Base station 505 and UE 515 may be examples of the corresponding devicesdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the following description of the process flow 500, the operationsbetween the base station 505 and UE 515 may be transmitted in adifferent order than the exemplary order shown, or the operationsperformed by the base station 505 and UE 515 may be performed indifferent orders or at different times. Certain operations may also beleft out of the process flow 500, or other operations may be added tothe process flow 500. In some examples, process flow 500 may commencewith base station 505 establishing a connection with UE 515 (e.g.,performing a RRC procedure with each).

At 520, base station 505 may generate a MAC CE. The MAC CE may includean indication for UE 515 to switch a state of a secondary cell asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. At 525, base station 505 maytransmit the MAC CE to UE 515. At 530, UE 515 may transition a state ofa secondary cell. For example, UE 515 may transition a state of asecondary cell from deactivated to a dormant state based on receivingthe MAC CE from base station 505.

At 535, base station 505 may generate a BWP DCI. The BWP DCI may includein addition to, an indication for UE 515 to switch the state of asecondary cell, a BWP ID. The indication may be explicit such as havingdesignated bits in the DCI to indicate how the state of the secondarycell should switch. The indication may alternatively be implicit, suchthat the state of secondary cells may be inferred from the active BWPstatus of the primary cell. For example, the secondary cell may switchfrom the activated state to a dormant state when BWP indication for theprimary cell indicates to switch from a wideband BWP to the narrowbandor “power saving” BWP. At 540, base station 505 may transmit the BWP DCIto UE 515. At 545, UE 515 may transition the state of the secondarycell. For example, UE 515 may transition the secondary cell from adormant state to fully activated state based on receiving the BWP DCIfrom base station 505. By using MAC CE and BWP DCI to signal activationor deactivation of a secondary cell, may reduce power consumption of UE515 and reduce latency in a wireless communication system. In someexamples, to instruct UE 515 to change states of a secondary cell fromfully activated to partially activated state (or also referred to as thedormant state), and fully deactivated, base station 505 may cross cellBWP DCI.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram 600 of a wireless device 605 that supportssecondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements in new radio inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Wireless device 605may be an example of aspects of a base station 105 as described herein.Wireless device 605 may include receiver 610, base station cellactivation and deactivation manager 615, and transmitter 620. Wirelessdevice 605 may also include a processor. Each of these components may bein communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Receiver 610 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to secondarycell activation and deactivation enhancements in new radio, etc.).Information may be passed on to other components of the device. Thereceiver 610 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 935described with reference to FIG. 9. The receiver 610 may utilize asingle antenna or a set of antennas.

Base station cell activation and deactivation manager 615 and/or atleast some of its various sub-components may be implemented in hardware,software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions of thebase station cell activation and deactivation manager 615 and/or atleast some of its various sub-components may be executed by ageneral-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an field-programmablegate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described in the presentdisclosure.

The base station cell activation and deactivation manager 615 and/or atleast some of its various sub-components may be physically located atvarious positions, including being distributed such that portions offunctions are implemented at different physical locations by one or morephysical devices. In some examples, base station cell activation anddeactivation manager 615 and/or at least some of its varioussub-components may be a separate and distinct component in accordancewith various aspects of the present disclosure. In other examples, basestation cell activation and deactivation manager 615 and/or at leastsome of its various sub-components may be combined with one or moreother hardware components, including but not limited to an I/Ocomponent, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device,one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or acombination thereof in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure.

Base station cell activation and deactivation manager 615 may transmit afirst signal instructing a UE to transition a state of a secondary cellassociated with the UE, determine an allocation of resources for the UEto communicate with the secondary cell, and transmit a second signalincluding an indication of an active BWP used for the allocation ofresources based on the determining, the active BWP and the first signalindicating the transition of the state of the secondary cell.

The base station cell activation and deactivation manager 615 may alsoconfigure at least one bit of a field in a BWP DCI to indicateselections for activated or deactivated states for a secondary cell anda BWP selection for the base station and transmit the BWP DCI to a UEbased on the configuring. The base station cell activation anddeactivation manager 615 may also configure a bitmap in a BWP DCI, thebitmap indicating a state associated with each secondary cell of a groupof secondary cells and transmit the BWP DCI to a UE.

Transmitter 620 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 620 may be collocated witha receiver 610 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 620may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 935 described withreference to FIG. 9. The transmitter 620 may utilize a single antenna ora set of antennas.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram 700 of a wireless device 705 that supportssecondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements in new radio inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Wireless device 705may be an example of aspects of a wireless device 605 or a base station105 as described with reference to FIG. 6. Wireless device 705 mayinclude receiver 710, base station cell activation and deactivationmanager 715, and transmitter 720. Wireless device 705 may also include aprocessor. Each of these components may be in communication with oneanother (e.g., via one or more buses).

Receiver 710 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to secondarycell activation and deactivation enhancements in new radio, etc.).Information may be passed on to other components of the device. Thereceiver 710 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 935described with reference to FIG. 9. The receiver 710 may utilize asingle antenna or a set of antennas.

Base station cell activation and deactivation manager 715 may be anexample of aspects of the base station cell activation and deactivationmanager 615 described with reference to FIG. 6. Base station cellactivation and deactivation manager 715 may also include state switchingcomponent 725, resource allocation component 730, bandwidth partcomponent 735, and downlink control information component 740.

State switching component 725 may transmit a first signal instructing aUE to transition a state of a secondary cell associated with the UE.State switching component 725 may configure at least one bit of a bitmapto indicate a selection of a primary cell or a state of a group ofsecondary cells. State switching component 725 may configure thesecondary cell to be in a full activated state based on the transmittedfirst signal and the active BWP being a non-zero BWP. State switchingcomponent 725 may configure the secondary cell to be in a partiallyactivated state based on the transmitted first signal and the active BWPbeing a zero BWP. State switching component 725 may configure thesecondary cell to be in a full deactivated state based on thetransmitted first signal. State switching component 725 may configurethe secondary cell to be in a full deactivated state based on adeactivation timer expiring. State switching component 725 may configurethe secondary cell to switch to a default BWP comprising a zero-BWPbased at least in part on a BWP timer expiring. In some examples, theactive BWP is deactivated based at least in part on the secondary cellbeing in a full deactivated state

State switching component 725 may configure the primary cell to switchto a default BWP based on an expiration of a timer. State switchingcomponent 725 may configure a subset of or all secondary cells of thegroup to switch from a fully activated state to a partially activatedstate based on an expiration of a timer. State switching component 725may configure the at least one secondary cell to be in a full activatedstate based on a transmitted MAC CE and the active BWP being a non-zeroBWP. State switching component 725 may configure the at least onesecondary cell to be in a partially activated state based on thetransmitted MAC CE and the active BWP being a zero BWP. State switchingcomponent 725 may configure one or more secondary cells to switch fromthe partially activated state to a full activated state based at leastin part on a BWP switching DCI transmitted on a primary cell without agrant, wherein the BWP switching DCI includes BWP activation controlinformation for the one or more secondary cells associated with the UE.State switching component 725 may configure the secondary cell to switchfrom the partially activated state to a full activated state based atleast in part on a BWP switching DCI transmitted on a primary cell,wherein the BWP switching DCI includes at least a CIF

State switching component 725 may configure the at least one secondarycell to be in a full deactivated state based on the transmitted MAC CE,and configure a MAC CE to indicate the group of secondary cells based onthe BWP DCI. In some cases, the state includes a fully activated state,a partially activated and deactivated state, or a fully deactivatedstate. In some cases, the first signal includes a MAC CE and the secondsignal includes BWP DCI. In some cases, the partially activated state isassociated with a default BWP including a zero-BWP. In some cases, thedefault BWP is configured to be a non-zero BWP.

Resource allocation component 730 may determine an allocation ofresources for the UE to communicate with the secondary cell anddetermine an allocation of resources for the UE to communicate with theat least one secondary cell. Bandwidth part component 735 may transmit asecond signal including an indication of the active BWP used for theallocation of resources based on the determining, the active BWP and thefirst signal indicating the transition of the state of the secondarycell. Bandwidth part component 735 may configure at least one bit of afield in a BWP DCI to indicate selections for activated or deactivatedstates for a secondary cell and a BWP selection for the base station.Bandwidth part component 735 may configure a bitmap in a BWP DCI, thebitmap indicating a state associated with each secondary cell of a groupof secondary cells, transmit the BWP DCI to a UE, and transmit anindication of an active BWP used for the allocation of resources in theBWP DCI based on the determining. Downlink control information component740 may transmit the BWP DCI to a UE based on the configuring.

Transmitter 720 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 720 may be collocated witha receiver 710 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 720may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 935 described withreference to FIG. 9. The transmitter 720 may utilize a single antenna ora set of antennas.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram 800 of a base station cell activation anddeactivation manager 815 that supports secondary cell activation anddeactivation enhancements in new radio in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure. The base station cell activation and deactivationmanager 815 may be an example of aspects of a base station cellactivation and deactivation manager 615, a base station cell activationand deactivation manager 715, or a base station cell activation anddeactivation manager 915 described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 9.The base station cell activation and deactivation manager 815 mayinclude state switching component 820, resource allocation component825, bandwidth part component 830, downlink control informationcomponent 835, medium access control component 840, bitmap component845, and higher layer signaling component 850. Each of these modules maycommunicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one ormore buses).

State switching component 820 may transmit a first signal instructing aUE to transition a state of a secondary cell associated with the UE.State switching component 820 may configure at least one bit of a bitmapto indicate a selection of a primary cell or a state of a group ofsecondary cells. State switching component 820 may configure thesecondary cell to be in a full activated state based on the transmittedfirst signal and an active BWP being a non-zero BWP. State switchingcomponent 820 may configure the secondary cell to be in a partiallyactivated state based on the transmitted first signal and the active BWPbeing a zero BWP.

State switching component 820 may configure one or more secondary cellsto switch from the partially activated state to a full activated statebased at least in part on a BWP switching DCI transmitted on a primarycell without a grant, wherein the BWP switching DCI includes BWPactivation control information for the one or more secondary cellsassociated with the UE. State switching component 820 may configure thesecondary cell to switch from the partially activated state to a fullactivated state based at least in part on a BWP switching DCItransmitted on a primary cell, wherein the BWP switching DCI includes atleast a CIF. State switching component 820 may configure the secondarycell to be in a full deactivated state based on the transmitted firstsignal. State switching component 820 may configure the secondary cellto be in a full deactivated state based on a deactivation timerexpiring. State switching component 820 may configure the secondary cellto switch to a default BWP comprising a zero-BWP based at least in parton a BWP timer expiring. In some examples, the active BWP is deactivatedbased at least in part on the secondary cell being in a full deactivatedstate.

State switching component 820 may configure the primary cell to switchto a default BWP based on an expiration of a timer. State switchingcomponent 820 may configure a subset of or all secondary cells of thegroup to switch from a fully activated state to a partially activatedstate based on an expiration of a timer. State switching component 820may configure the at least one secondary cell to be in a full activatedstate based on the transmitted MAC CE and the active BWP being anon-zero BWP. State switching component 820 may configure the at leastone secondary cell to be in a partially activated state based on thetransmitted MAC CE and the active BWP being a zero BWP. State switchingcomponent 820 may configure the at least one secondary cell to switchfrom the partially activated state to a fully activated state based atleast in part on a BWP switching DCI transmitted on a primary cellwithout a grant. In some examples, switching from the partiallyactivated state to the full activated state is further based at least inpart on at least one bit of the bitmap. In some examples, at least onebit of the bitmap includes a secondary cell indicator. State switchingcomponent 820 may configure at least one bit of the bitmap based atleast in part on a zero resource allocation.

State switching component 820 may configure the at least one secondarycell to be in a full deactivated state based on the transmitted MAC CE.State switching component 820 may configure a MAC CE to indicate a groupof secondary cells based on the BWP DCI. The BWP DCI of a primary cellassociated with the base station carries BWP activation controlinformation for the secondary cell. In some cases, the state includes afully activated state, a partially activated and deactivated state, or afully deactivated state. In some cases, the first signal includes a MACCE and the second signal includes BWP DCI. In some cases, the partiallyactivated state is associated with a default BWP including a zero-BWP.In some cases, the default BWP is configured to be a non-zero BWP.

Resource allocation component 825 may determine an allocation ofresources for the UE to communicate with the secondary cell anddetermine an allocation of resources for the UE to communicate with theat least one secondary cell.

Bandwidth part component 830 may transmit a second signal including anindication of the active BWP used for the allocation of resources basedon the determining. The active BWP and the first signal indicating thetransition of the state of the secondary cell. Bandwidth part component830 may configure at least one bit of a field in the BWP DCI to indicateselections for activated or deactivated states for a secondary cell anda BWP selection for the base station. Bandwidth part component 830 mayconfigure the bitmap in the BWP DCI, the bitmap indicating a stateassociated with each secondary cell of a group of secondary cells.Bandwidth part component 830 may transmit the BWP DCI to a UE, andtransmit an indication of an active BWP used for the allocation ofresources in the BWP DCI based on the determining.

Downlink control information component 835 may transmit the BWP DCI tothe UE based on the configuring. Medium access control component 840 mayconfigure a MAC CE to indicate a group of secondary cells based on theBWP DCI and transmit a MAC CE instructing the UE to transition a stateof at least one secondary cell of the group of secondary cells. Bitmapcomponent 845 may identify a number of bits associated with the bitmap.Bitmap component 845 may configure at least one bit of the bitmap toindicate a target BWP ID based on the number of bits, and configure atleast a remaining number of bits for control information indicating thestate associated with each secondary cell of the group of secondarycells. Higher layer signaling component 850 may transmit the stateassociated with each secondary cell of the group of secondary cellsusing higher layer signaling. In some cases, the higher layer signalingincludes RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling during a secondary cellconfiguration procedure.

FIG. 9 shows a diagram of a system 900 including a device 905 thatsupports secondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements in newradio in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Device 905may be an example of or include the components of wireless device 605,wireless device 705, or a base station 105 as described above, e.g.,with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. Device 905 may include components forbi-directional voice and data communications including components fortransmitting and receiving communications, including base station cellactivation and deactivation manager 915, processor 920, memory 925,software 930, transceiver 935, antenna 940, network communicationsmanager 945, and inter-station communications manager 950. Thesecomponents may be in electronic communication via one or more buses(e.g., bus 910). Device 905 may communicate wirelessly with one or moreUEs 115.

Processor 920 may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., ageneral-purpose processor, a DSP, a central processing unit (CPU), amicrocontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, adiscrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardwarecomponent, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 920 maybe configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. Inother cases, a memory controller may be integrated into processor 920.Processor 920 may be configured to execute computer-readableinstructions stored in a memory to perform various functions (e.g.,functions or tasks supporting secondary cell activation and deactivationenhancements in new radio).

Memory 925 may include random access memory (RAM) and read only memory(ROM). The memory 925 may store computer-readable, computer-executablesoftware 930 including instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to perform various functions described herein. In some cases,the memory 925 may contain, among other things, a basic input/outputsystem (BIOS) which may control basic hardware or software operationsuch as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

Software 930 may include code to implement aspects of the presentdisclosure, including code to support secondary cell activation anddeactivation enhancements in new radio. Software 930 may be stored in anon-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or othermemory. In some cases, the software 930 may not be directly executableby the processor but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled andexecuted) to perform functions described herein.

Transceiver 935 may communicate bi-directionally, via one or moreantennas, wired, or wireless links as described above. For example, thetransceiver 935 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicatebi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 935may also include a modem to modulate the packets and provide themodulated packets to the antennas for transmission, and to demodulatepackets received from the antennas. In some cases, the wireless devicemay include a single antenna 940. However, in some cases the device mayhave more than one antenna 940, which may be capable of concurrentlytransmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

Network communications manager 945 may manage communications with thecore network (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links). For example,the network communications manager 945 may manage the transfer of datacommunications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115.

Inter-station communications manager 950 may manage communications withother base station 105, and may include a controller or scheduler forcontrolling communications with UEs 115 in cooperation with other basestations 105. For example, the inter-station communications manager 950may coordinate scheduling for transmissions to UEs 115 for variousinterference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or jointtransmission. In some examples, inter-station communications manager 950may provide an X2 interface within an Long Term Evolution (LTE)/LTE-Awireless communication network technology to provide communicationbetween base stations 105.

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram 1000 of a wireless device 1005 thatsupports secondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements in newradio in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Wirelessdevice 1005 may be an example of aspects of a UE 115 as describedherein. Wireless device 1005 may include receiver 1010, UE cellactivation and deactivation manager 1015, and transmitter 1020. Wirelessdevice 1005 may also include a processor. Each of these components maybe in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Receiver 1010 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to secondarycell activation and deactivation enhancements in new radio, etc.).Information may be passed on to other components of the device. Thereceiver 1010 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1335described with reference to FIG. 13. The receiver 1010 may utilize asingle antenna or a set of antennas.

UE cell activation and deactivation manager 1015 and/or at least some ofits various sub-components may be implemented in hardware, softwareexecuted by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. Ifimplemented in software executed by a processor, the functions of the UEcell activation and deactivation manager 1015 and/or at least some ofits various sub-components may be executed by a general-purposeprocessor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device,discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof designed to perform the functions described in thepresent disclosure.

The UE cell activation and deactivation manager 1015 and/or at leastsome of its various sub-components may be physically located at variouspositions, including being distributed such that portions of functionsare implemented at different physical locations by one or more physicaldevices. In some examples, UE cell activation and deactivation manager1015 and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be aseparate and distinct component in accordance with various aspects ofthe present disclosure. In other examples, UE cell activation anddeactivation manager 1015 and/or at least some of its varioussub-components may be combined with one or more other hardwarecomponents, including but not limited to an I/O component, atransceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or moreother components described in the present disclosure, or a combinationthereof in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

UE cell activation and deactivation manager 1015 may receive a MAC CE,receive a BWP DCI including an indication of an active BWP used forallocation of resources for the UE to communicate with the secondarycell, and transition a state of a secondary cell based on the MAC CE andthe active BWP. The UE cell activation and deactivation manager 1015 mayalso receive a BWP DCI from a base station and identify a selection of aprimary cell or a state of a group of secondary cells based on at leastone bit of a field in the BWP DCI.

Transmitter 1020 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 1020 may be collocatedwith a receiver 1010 in a transceiver module. For example, thetransmitter 1020 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1335described with reference to FIG. 13. The transmitter 1020 may utilize asingle antenna or a set of antennas.

FIG. 11 shows a block diagram 1100 of a wireless device 1105 thatsupports secondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements in newradio in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Wirelessdevice 1105 may be an example of aspects of a wireless device 1005 or aUE 115 as described with reference to FIG. 10. Wireless device 1105 mayinclude receiver 1110, UE cell activation and deactivation manager 1115,and transmitter 1120. Wireless device 1105 may also include a processor.Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g.,via one or more buses).

Receiver 1110 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to secondarycell activation and deactivation enhancements in new radio, etc.).Information may be passed on to other components of the device. Thereceiver 1110 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1335described with reference to FIG. 13. The receiver 1110 may utilize asingle antenna or a set of antennas.

UE cell activation and deactivation manager 1115 may be an example ofaspects of the UE cell activation and deactivation manager 1015described with reference to FIG. 10. UE cell activation and deactivationmanager 1115 may also include medium access control component 1125,bandwidth part component 1130, and state switching component 1135.

Medium access control component 1125 may receive a MAC CE. Bandwidthpart component 1130 may receive a BWP DCI including an indication of anactive BWP used for allocation of resources for the UE to communicatewith the secondary cell and receive a BWP DCI from a base station.

State switching component 1135 may transition a state of a secondarycell based on the MAC CE and the active BWP. State switching component1135 may transition the state of the secondary cell to a full activatedstate based on the received MAC CE and the active BWP being a non-zeroBWP. State switching component 1135 may transition the state of thesecondary cell to a partially activated state based on the received MACCE and the active BWP being a zero BWP. State switching component 1135may transition the state of the secondary cell to a full deactivatedstate based on the received MAC CE. State switching component 1135 maytransition the state of the secondary cell to a full deactivated statebased on a deactivation timer expiring. State switching component 1135may identify a selection of a primary cell or a state of a group ofsecondary cells based on at least one bit of a field in the BWP DCI. Insome cases, the state includes a fully activated state, a partiallyactivated or deactivate state, or a fully deactivated state.

Transmitter 1120 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 1120 may be collocatedwith a receiver 1110 in a transceiver module. For example, thetransmitter 1120 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1335described with reference to FIG. 13. The transmitter 1120 may utilize asingle antenna or a set of antennas.

FIG. 12 shows a block diagram 1200 of a UE cell activation anddeactivation manager 1215 that supports secondary cell activation anddeactivation enhancements in new radio in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure. The UE cell activation and deactivation manager 1215may be an example of aspects of a UE cell activation and deactivationmanager 1215 described with reference to FIGS. 9, 10, and 13. The UEcell activation and deactivation manager 1215 may include medium accesscontrol component 1220, bandwidth part component 1225, and stateswitching component 1230. Each of these modules may communicate,directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Medium access control component 1220 may receive a MAC CE. Bandwidthpart component 1225 may receive a BWP DCI including an indication of anactive BWP used for allocation of resources for the UE to communicatewith the secondary cell and receive a BWP DCI from a base station. Stateswitching component 1230 may transition a state of a secondary cellbased on the MAC CE and the active BWP. State switching component 1230may transition the state of the secondary cell to a full activated statebased on the received MAC CE and the active BWP being a non-zero BWP.State switching component 1230 may transition the state of the secondarycell to a partially activated state based on the received MAC CE and theactive BWP being a zero BWP. State switching component 1230 maytransition the state of the secondary cell to a full deactivated statebased on the received MAC CE.

State switching component 1230 may transmit a BWP switching DCI on thesecondary cell indicating switching to a zero BWP for the secondarycell. In some examples, the BWP switching DCI is transmitted without agrant. State switching component 1230 may transmit a BWP switching DCIon the primary cell indicating switching to a zero BWP for the secondarycell. In some examples, the BWP switching DCI includes at least a CIF.The BWP DCI carries BWP activation control information for the secondarycell.

State switching component 1230 may transition the state of the secondarycell to a full deactivated state based on a deactivation timer expiring.State switching component 1230 may identify a selection of a primarycell or a state of a group of secondary cells based on at least one bitof a field in the BWP DCI. In some cases, the state includes a fullyactivated state, a partially activated or deactivate state, or a fullydeactivated state.

FIG. 13 shows a diagram of a system 1300 including a device 1305 thatsupports secondary cell activation and deactivation enhancements in newradio in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Device 1305may be an example of or include the components of UE 115 as describedabove, e.g., with reference to FIG. 1. Device 1305 may includecomponents for bi-directional voice and data communications includingcomponents for transmitting and receiving communications, including UEcell activation and deactivation manager 1315, processor 1320, memory1325, software 1330, transceiver 1335, antenna 1340, and I/O controller1345. These components may be in electronic communication via one ormore buses (e.g., bus 1310). Device 1305 may communicate wirelessly withone or more base stations 105.

Processor 1320 may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., ageneral-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, anFPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logiccomponent, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof).In some cases, processor 1320 may be configured to operate a memoryarray using a memory controller. In other cases, a memory controller maybe integrated into processor 1320. Processor 1320 may be configured toexecute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory to performvarious functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting secondary cellactivation and deactivation enhancements in new radio).

Memory 1325 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 1325 may storecomputer-readable, computer-executable software 1330 includinginstructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform variousfunctions described herein. In some cases, the memory 1325 may contain,among other things, a BIOS which may control basic hardware or softwareoperation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

Software 1330 may include code to implement aspects of the presentdisclosure, including code to support secondary cell activation anddeactivation enhancements in new radio. Software 1330 may be stored in anon-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or othermemory. In some cases, the software 1330 may not be directly executableby the processor but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled andexecuted) to perform functions described herein.

Transceiver 1335 may communicate bi-directionally, via one or moreantennas, wired, or wireless links as described above. For example, thetransceiver 1335 may represent a wireless transceiver and maycommunicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. Thetransceiver 1335 may also include a modem to modulate the packets andprovide the modulated packets to the antennas for transmission, and todemodulate packets received from the antennas. In some cases, thewireless device may include a single antenna 1340. However, in somecases the device may have more than one antenna 1340, which may becapable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wirelesstransmissions.

I/O controller 1345 may manage input and output signals for device 1305.I/O controller 1345 may also manage peripherals not integrated intodevice 1305. In some cases, I/O controller 1345 may represent a physicalconnection or port to an external peripheral. In some cases, I/Ocontroller 1345 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®,MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS/2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or another known operatingsystem. In other cases, I/O controller 1345 may represent or interactwith a modem, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, or a similar device.In some cases, I/O controller 1345 may be implemented as part of aprocessor. In some cases, a user may interact with device 1305 via I/Ocontroller 1345 or via hardware components controlled by I/O controller1345.

FIG. 14 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1400 for secondary cellactivation and deactivation enhancements in new radio in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1400 may beimplemented by a base station 105 or its components as described herein.For example, the operations of method 1400 may be performed by a basestation cell activation and deactivation manager as described withreference to FIGS. 5 through 8. In some examples, a base station 105 mayexecute a set of codes to control the functional elements of the deviceto perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively,the base station 105 may perform aspects of the functions describedbelow using special-purpose hardware.

At 1405 the base station 105 may transmit a first signal instructing aUE to transition a state of a secondary cell associated with the UE. Theoperations of 1405 may be performed according to the methods describedherein. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of 1405 may beperformed by a state switching component as described with reference toFIGS. 5 through 8.

At 1410 the base station 105 may determine an allocation of resourcesfor the UE to communicate with the secondary cell. The operations of1410 may be performed according to the methods described herein. Incertain examples, aspects of the operations of 1410 may be performed bya resource allocation component as described with reference to FIGS. 5through 8.

At 1415 the base station 105 may transmit a second signal including anindication of an active BWP used for the allocation of resources basedat least in part on the determining, the active BWP and the first signalindicating the transition of the state of the secondary cell. Theoperations of 1415 may be performed according to the methods describedherein. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of 1415 may beperformed by a bandwidth part component as described with reference toFIGS. 5 through 8.

FIG. 15 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1500 for secondary cellactivation and deactivation enhancements in new radio in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1500 may beimplemented by a base station 105 or its components as described herein.For example, the operations of method 1500 may be performed by a basestation cell activation and deactivation manager as described withreference to FIGS. 5 through 8. In some examples, a base station 105 mayexecute a set of codes to control the functional elements of the deviceto perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively,the base station 105 may perform aspects of the functions describedbelow using special-purpose hardware.

At 1505 the base station 105 may configure at least one bit of a fieldin a BWP DCI to indicate selections for activated or deactivated statesfor a secondary cell and a BWP selection for the base station. Theoperations of 1505 may be performed according to the methods describedherein. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of 1505 may beperformed by a bandwidth part component as described with reference toFIGS. 5 through 8.

At 1510 the base station 105 may transmit the BWP DCI to a UE based atleast in part on the configuring. The operations of 1510 may beperformed according to the methods described herein. In certainexamples, aspects of the operations of 1510 may be performed by adownlink control information component as described with reference toFIGS. 5 through 8.

FIG. 16 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1600 for secondary cellactivation and deactivation enhancements in new radio in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1600 may beimplemented by a base station 105 or its components as described herein.For example, the operations of method 1600 may be performed by a basestation cell activation and deactivation manager as described withreference to FIGS. 5 through 8. In some examples, a base station 105 mayexecute a set of codes to control the functional elements of the deviceto perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively,the base station 105 may perform aspects of the functions describedbelow using special-purpose hardware.

At 1605 the base station 105 may configure a bitmap in a BWP DCI, thebitmap indicating a state associated with each secondary cell of a groupof secondary cells. The operations of 1605 may be performed according tothe methods described herein. In certain examples, aspects of theoperations of 1605 may be performed by a bandwidth part component asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 5 through 8.

At 1610 the base station 105 may transmit the BWP DCI to a UE. Theoperations of 1610 may be performed according to the methods describedherein. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of 1610 may beperformed by a bandwidth part component as described with reference toFIGS. 5 through 8.

FIG. 17 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1700 for secondary cellactivation and deactivation enhancements in new radio in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1700 may beimplemented by a UE 115 or its components as described herein. Forexample, the operations of method 1700 may be performed by a UE cellactivation and deactivation manager as described with reference to FIGS.9 through 12. In some examples, a UE 115 may execute a set of codes tocontrol the functional elements of the device to perform the functionsdescribed below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 115 may performaspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At 1705 the UE 115 may receive a MAC CE. The operations of 1705 may beperformed according to the methods described herein. In certainexamples, aspects of the operations of 1705 may be performed by a mediumaccess control component as described with reference to FIGS. 9 through12.

At 1710 the UE 115 may receive a BWP DCI including an indication of anactive BWP used for allocation of resources for the UE to communicatewith the secondary cell. The operations of 1710 may be performedaccording to the methods described herein. In certain examples, aspectsof the operations of 1710 may be performed by a bandwidth part componentas described with reference to FIGS. 9 through 12.

At 1715 the UE 115 may transition e a state of a secondary cell based atleast in part on the MAC CE and the active BWP. The operations of 1715may be performed according to the methods described herein. In certainexamples, aspects of the operations of 1715 may be performed by a stateswitching component as described with reference to FIGS. 9 through 12.

FIG. 18 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1800 for secondary cellactivation and deactivation enhancements in new radio in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1800 may beimplemented by a UE 115 or its components as described herein. Forexample, the operations of method 1800 may be performed by a UE cellactivation and deactivation manager as described with reference to FIGS.9 through 12. In some examples, a UE 115 may execute a set of codes tocontrol the functional elements of the device to perform the functionsdescribed below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 115 may performaspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At 1805 the UE 115 may receive a BWP DCI from a base station. Theoperations of 1805 may be performed according to the methods describedherein. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of 1805 may beperformed by a bandwidth part component as described with reference toFIGS. 9 through 12.

At 1810 the UE 115 may identify a selection of a primary cell or a stateof a group of secondary cells based at least in part on at least one bitof a field in the BWP DCI. The operations of 1810 may be performedaccording to the methods described herein. In certain examples, aspectsof the operations of 1810 may be performed by a state switchingcomponent as described with reference to FIGS. 9 through 12.

It should be noted that the methods described above describe possibleimplementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearrangedor otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible.Further, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

Techniques described herein may be used for various wirelesscommunications systems such as code division multiple access (CDMA),time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access(FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), singlecarrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and other systems.A CDMA system may implement a radio technology such as CDMA2000, UTRA,etc. CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. IS-2000Releases may be commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1×, 1×, etc. IS-856(TIA-856) is commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1×EV-DO, High Rate PacketData (HRPD), etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variantsof CDMA. A TDMA system may implement a radio technology such as GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (GSM).

An OFDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Ultra MobileBroadband (UMB), E-UTRA, Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20,Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS). LTE and LTE-A are releases of UMTSthat use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, new radio, and GSM aredescribed in documents from the organization named “3rd GenerationPartnership Project” (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documentsfrom an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2”(3GPP2). The techniques described herein may be used for the systems andradio technologies mentioned above as well as other systems and radiotechnologies. While aspects of an LTE or a new radio system may bedescribed for purposes of example, and LTE or new radio terminology maybe used in much of the description, the techniques described herein areapplicable beyond LTE or new radio applications.

A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g.,several kilometers in radius). A small cell may be associated with alower-powered base station 105, as compared with a macro cell, and asmall cell may operate in the same or different (e.g., licensed,unlicensed, etc.) frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells mayinclude pico cells, femto cells, and micro cells according to variousexamples. A pico cell, for example, may cover a small geographic area. Afemto cell may also cover a small geographic area (e.g., a home) and mayprovide restricted access by UEs 115 having an association with thefemto cell (e.g., UEs 115 in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs 115for users in the home, and the like). An eNB for a macro cell may bereferred to as a macro eNB. An eNB for a small cell may be referred toas a small cell eNB, a pico eNB, a femto eNB, or a home eNB. An eNB maysupport one or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells,and may also support communications using one or multiple componentcarriers.

The system 100 or systems described herein may support synchronous orasynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the base stations 105may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different basestations 105 may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronousoperation, the base stations 105 may have different frame timing, andtransmissions from different base stations 105 may not be aligned intime. The techniques described herein may be used for either synchronousor asynchronous operations.

Information and signals described herein may be represented using any ofa variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data,instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chipsthat may be referenced throughout the above description may berepresented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magneticfields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combinationthereof.

The various illustrative blocks and modules described in connection withthe disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with ageneral-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmablegate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discretegate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration).

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, softwareexecuted by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. Ifimplemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may bestored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are withinthe scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to thenature of software, functions described above can be implemented usingsoftware executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, orcombinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may alsobe physically located at various positions, including being distributedsuch that portions of functions are implemented at different physicallocations.

Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storagemedia and communication media including any medium that facilitatestransfer of a computer program from one place to another. Anon-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that can beaccessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way ofexample, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media maycomprise random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM),electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flashmemory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othernon-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired programcode means in the form of instructions or data structures and that canbe accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or ageneral-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection isproperly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the softwareis transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using acoaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line(DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave,then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, orwireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave areincluded in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein,include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD),floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce datamagnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.Combinations of the above are also included within the scope ofcomputer-readable media.

As used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items(e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or“one or more of”) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, alist of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BCor ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used herein, the phrase “basedon” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions.For example, an exemplary step that is described as “based on conditionA” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, asused herein, the phrase “based on” shall be construed in the same manneras the phrase “based at least in part on.”

In the appended figures, similar components or features may have thesame reference label. Further, various components of the same type maybe distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a secondlabel that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the firstreference label is used in the specification, the description isapplicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label, or othersubsequent reference label.

The description set forth herein, in connection with the appendeddrawings, describes example configurations and does not represent allthe examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of theclaims. The term “exemplary” used herein means “serving as an example,instance, or illustration,” and not “preferred” or “advantageous overother examples.” The detailed description includes specific details forthe purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques.These techniques, however, may be practiced without these specificdetails. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shownin block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of thedescribed examples.

The description herein is provided to enable a person skilled in the artto make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosurewill be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the genericprinciples defined herein may be applied to other variations withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is notlimited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to beaccorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for wireless communications, comprising:configuring a state of a secondary cell associated with a group ofsecondary cells to be in a dormant state based at least in part on anactive bandwidth part comprising a zero bandwidth part; configuring in amessage a bitmap comprising an indication of the state of the secondarycell; and transmitting the message including the bitmap comprising theindication of the state of the secondary cell.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) on the zerobandwidth part is not monitored when the secondary cell is in thedormant state.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the stateof the secondary cell associated with the group of secondary cellscomprises: configuring the secondary cell associated with the group ofsecondary cells to switch to a fully activated state from the dormantstate based at least in part on a second indication in the message. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the state of the secondarycell associated with the group of secondary cells comprises: configuringthe secondary cell associated with the group of secondary cells to be ina fully activated state based at least in part on the active bandwidthpart comprising a non-zero bandwidth part.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising: transmitting, via the secondary cell, a secondindication in the message to switch the secondary cell to the zerobandwidth part.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second indicationcomprises a carrier indicator field.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinconfiguring the state of the secondary cell associated with the group ofsecondary cells comprises: configuring the secondary cell associatedwith the group of secondary cells to switch to a default bandwidth partcomprising a zero-bandwidth part based at least in part on a bandwidthtimer expiring.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:transmitting, via downlink control signaling, the message including thebitmap comprising the indication of the state of the secondary cellassociated with the group of secondary cells, wherein the messagecomprises a downlink control information message.
 9. The method of claim1, further comprising: transmitting, via higher layer signaling, themessage including the bitmap comprising the indication of the state ofthe secondary cell associated with the group of secondary cells, whereinthe higher layer signaling comprises radio resource control signaling ormedium access control-control element signaling.
 10. The method of claim1, further comprising: identifying a set of bits associated with thebitmap in the message, the bitmap comprising the set of bits to indicatestates of secondary cells associated with the group of secondary cells,wherein a presence of the bitmap in the message is determined based atleast in part on a zero-resource assignment or a dummy grant forresource allocation.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:receiving a feedback message comprising an indication of a decodingresult of the transmitted message, wherein the feedback messagecomprises an acknowledgement message or a non-acknowledgement message.12. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a downlinkcontrol information message corresponding to a downlink controlinformation format comprising a bandwidth part identifier indicating atarget bandwidth part identifier associated with a primary cell and anumber of fields for a downlink grant, wherein at least one field of thenumber of fields comprises the bitmap indicating the state of thesecondary cell associated with the group of secondary cells.
 13. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the message comprises bandwidth partactivation control information for the secondary cell associated withthe group of secondary cells.
 14. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving from a user equipment (UE) for the zero bandwidthpart when the secondary cell is in the dormant state: a radio resourcemanagement (RRM) measurement, a channel state information (CSI)measurement, a sounding reference signal (SRS), a power headroomreporting (PHR) measurement, or communications for a contention-basedRandom Access Channel (RACH) procedure, or a combination thereof. 15.The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a bandwidth partdownlink control information message.
 16. A method for wirelesscommunications, comprising: receiving a message including a bitmapcomprising an indication of a state of a secondary cell associated witha group of secondary cells; identifying a configuration of the state ofthe secondary cell based at least in part on the indication in thereceived message; and switching the state of the secondary cell to be ina dormant state based at least in part on the identifying and on anactive bandwidth part comprising a zero bandwidth part.
 17. The methodof claim 16, further comprising: refraining from monitoring a physicaldownlink control channel (PDCCH) on the zero bandwidth part when thesecondary cell is in the dormant state.
 18. The method of claim 16,wherein switching the state of the secondary cell comprise: switchingthe state of the secondary cell associated with the group of secondarycells to a fully activated state based at least in part on an activebandwidth part comprising a non-zero bandwidth part, wherein the fullyactivated state comprises a non-dormant state.
 19. The method of claim16, further comprising: receiving, via the secondary cell, a secondindication in the message to switch the secondary cell to the zerobandwidth part, the second indication comprising a carrier indicatorfield, wherein switching the state of the secondary cell comprises:switching the state of the secondary cell associated with the group ofsecondary cells to a fully activated state from a partially activatedstate based at least in part on the second indication.
 20. The method ofclaim 16, wherein receiving the message comprises: receiving, viadownlink control signaling, the message including the bitmap comprisingthe indication of the state of the secondary cell associated with thegroup of secondary cells, wherein the message comprises a downlinkcontrol information message.
 21. The method of claim 16, whereinreceiving the message comprises: receiving, via higher layer signaling,the message including the bitmap comprising the indication of the stateof the secondary cell associated with the group of secondary cells,wherein the higher layer signaling comprises radio resource controlsignaling or medium access control-control element signaling.
 22. Themethod of claim 16, further comprising: determining a presence of thebitmap in the received message based at least in part on a zero-resourceassignment or a dummy grant for resource allocation; and identifying aset of bits associated with the bitmap in the message, the bitmapcomprising the set of bits to indicate states of secondary cellsassociated with the group of secondary cells.
 23. The method of claim16, further comprising: determining that the state of the secondary cellis in the dormant state; and refraining from monitoring a controlchannel on the secondary cell based at least in part on the state of thesecondary cell being in the dormant state, wherein the control channelcomprises a physical downlink control channel.
 24. The method of claim16, further comprising: transmitting a feedback message comprising anindication of a decoding result of the received message, wherein thefeedback message comprises an acknowledgement message or anon-acknowledgement message.
 25. The method of claim 16, wherein themessage comprises a downlink control information message correspondingto a downlink control information format comprising a bandwidth partidentifier indicating a target bandwidth part identifier associated witha primary cell and a number of fields for a downlink grant, wherein atleast one field of the number of fields comprises the bitmap indicatingthe state of the secondary cell associated with the group of secondarycells.
 26. The method of claim 16, wherein the message comprisesbandwidth part activation control information for the secondary cellassociated with the group of secondary cells.
 27. The method of claim16, further comprising: performing, for the zero bandwidth part when thesecondary cell is in the dormant state, one or more of: a radio resourcemanagement (RRM) measurement, a channel state information (CSI)measurement, a sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission, a powerheadroom reporting (PHR) measurement, and communications for acontention-based Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure.
 28. The methodof claim 16, wherein the message comprises a bandwidth part downlinkcontrol information message.
 29. An apparatus for wirelesscommunications, comprising: a processor, memory coupled with theprocessor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by theprocessor to cause the apparatus to: configure a state of a secondarycell associated with a group of secondary cells to be in a dormant statebased at least in part on an active bandwidth part comprising a zerobandwidth part; configure in a message a bitmap comprising an indicationof the state of the secondary cell; and transmit the message includingthe bitmap comprising the indication of the state of the secondary cell.30. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising: a processor,memory coupled with the processor; and instructions stored in the memoryand executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: receive amessage including a bitmap comprising an indication of a state of asecondary cell associated with a group of secondary cells; identify aconfiguration of the state of the secondary cell based at least in parton the indication in the received message; and switch the state of thesecondary cell to be in a dormant state based at least in part on theidentifying and on an active bandwidth part comprising a zero bandwidthpart.